THE  1  ROVER  BOYS 


OFF    FOR    THE    SUMMER    ENCAMPMENT." 


THE  ROVER  BOYS 

AT  SCHOOL 


OR 


THE  CADETS  OF  PUTNAM  HALL 


BY 

ARTHUR  M.   WINFIELD 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  OCEAN,"  "THE  ROVES 

BOYS  IN  THE  JUNGLE,"    "  THE  MISSING  TIN  BOX," 

"BY  PLUCK,  NOT  LUCK,"  ETC. 


NEW  YORK 

GROSSET      &     DUNLAP 
PUBLISHERS 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  RIVER; 

Or,  The  Search  for  the  Missing  Houseboat 
THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  CAMP; 
Or,  The  Rivals  of  Pine  Island. 
THE   ROVER    BOYS   ON   LAND     AND 
SEA; 

Or,  The  Crusoes  of  Seven  Islands. 
THE   ROVER    BOYS    IN   THE   MOUN- 
TAINS ; 

Or,  A  Hunt  for  Fun  and  Fortune. 
THE  ROVER   BOYS   ON  THE   GREAT 
LAKES ; 

Or,  The  Secret  of  the  Island  Cave. 
THE  ROVER  BOYS  OUT  WEST; 
Or,  The  Search  for  a  Lost  Mine. 
THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  JUNGLE ; 

Or,  Stirring  Adventures  In  Africa. 
THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  OCEAN; 

Or,  A  Chase  for  a  Fortune. 
THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL; 
Or,  The  Cadets  of  Putnam  Hall. 


,  finely  illustrated  and  bound  in  cloth. 
Price,  per  volume,  do  cents. 

CROSSET  &  DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS  NEW  YORK 


COPYRIGHT,  1899.  BY 
THE  MERSHON  COMPANY 


StacK 


INTRODUCTION. 

MY  DEAR  BOYS:  "The  Rover  Boys  at  School  w 
has  been  written  that  those  of  you  who  have 
never  put  in  a  term  or  more  at  an  American  mili- 
tary academy  for  boys  may  gain  some  insight 
into  the  workings  of  such  an  institution. 

While  Putnam  Hall  is  not  the  real  name  of 
the  particular  place  of  learning  I  had  in  mind 
while  penning  this  tale  for  your  amusement  and 
instruction,  there  is  really  such  a  school,  and 
dear  Captain  Putnam  is  a  living  person,  as  are 
also  the  lively,  wide-awake,  fun-loving  Rover 
brothers,  Dick,  Tom,  and  Sam,  and  their  school- 
fellows, Larry,  Fred,  and  Frank.  The  same  can 
be  said,  to  a  certain  degree,  of  the  bully  Dan 
Baxter,  and  his  toady,  the  sneak  commonly 
known  as  "  Mumps." 

The  present  story  is  complete  in  itself,  but  it 
is  written  as  the  first  of  a  series,  to  be  followed 
by  "  The  Rover  Boys  on  the  Ocean  "  and  "  The 
Rover  Boys  in  the  Jungle,"  in  both  of  which  vol- 


vi  INTRODUCTION. 

times  we  will  again  meet  many  of  our  former 
characters. 

Trusting  that  this  tale  will  find  as  much  favor 
in  your  hands  as  have  my  previous  stories,  I 
remain, 

Affectionately  and  sincerely  yours, 

ARTHUR   M.   WINFIELD. 

March  r,  iSgg. 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  INTRODUCING  THE  ROVER  BOYS                       .  i 

II.  AN  ENCOUNTER  ON  THE  ROAD        ...  14 

III.  SAM'S  ADVENTURE  AT  HUMPBACK  FALLS        .  24 

IV.  THE  LAST  DAY  AT  THE  FARM       .                .34 
V.  ON  THE  WAY  TO  PUTNAM  HALL    ...  44 

VI.  FRIENDS  AND  ENEMIES 53 

VII.  TOM  GETS  INTO  TROUBLE        ....  63 

VIII.  A  MEETING  IN  THE  MESSROOM        ...  73 

IX.  A  STRANGE  MEETING  IN  THE  WOODS     .        .  84 

X.  SETTLING  DOWN  AT  THE  HALL        ...  94 

XI.  A  Row  IN  THE  GYMNASIUM    ....  104 

XII.  FAIR  AND  FOUL  FIGHTING       .        .        .        .113 

XIII.  WHAT  THE   GAME   OF   HARE   AND    HOUNDS 

LED  TO 121 

XIV.  JOSIAH  CRABTREE  IN  DIFFICULTY    .        .        .  129 
XV.  DAN  BAXTER'S  MONEY 137 

XVI.  THE  GREAT  FOOTBALL  GAME          .        .        .  146 

XVII  DICK  AT  THE  STANHOPE  COTTAGE          .        .154 

XVIIL  WINTER  SPORTS 163 

XIX.  THE  SKATING   RACE— DAN   BAXTER  is  COR- 
NERED       171 

XX.  THE  BULLY  LEAVES  PUTNAM  HALL       .        .  178 

XXI.  SOMETHING  ABOUT  THE  PAST           .        .        .  186 

XXII.  FUN  AT  THE  HOTEL         .        .                .        .  195 
iii 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER 
XXIII. 

XXIV. 
XXV. 
XXVI. 
XXVII. 
XXVIII 

BALLOTING  FOR  A  SECOND  LIEUTENANT 
PREPARING  FOR  A  MIDNIGHT  FEAST 
MUMPS  is  TAUGHT  A  LESSON 
A  LIVELY  GAME  OF  BASEBALL     . 
OFF  FOR  THE  SUMMER  ENCAMPMENT    . 
THE    RECOVERY    OF    THE    WATCH—  CON- 
TUSION 

PAGE 

204 
212 
220 
229 
237 

o  4  r 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL 

CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCING  THE  ROVER  BOYS. 

"  Hurrah,  Sam,  it  is  settled  at  last  that  we  are 
to  go  to  boarding  school!  " 

"  Are  you  certain,  Tom?  Don't  let  me  raise 
any  false  hopes." 

"  Yes,  I  am  certain,  for  I  heard  Uncle  Ran- 
dolph tell  Aunt  Martha  that  he  wouldn't  keep 
us  in  the  house  another  week.  He  said  he  would 
rather  put  up  with  the  Central  Park  menagerie 
— think  of  that! "  and  Tom  Rover  began  to 
laugh. 

"  That's  rather  rough  on  us,  but  I  don't  know 
but  what  we  deserve  it,"  answered  Sam  Rover, 
Tom's  younger  brother.  "  We  have  been  going 
it  pretty  strong  lately,  with  playing  tricks  on 
Sarah  the  cook,  Jack  the  hired  man,  and  Uncle 
Randolph's  pet  dog  Alexander.  But  then  we 
had  to  do  something — or  go  into  a  dry  rot. 
Life  in  the  country  is  all  well  enough,  but  it's 
mighty  slow — for  me." 


a  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  I  guess  it  is  slow  for  anybody  brought  up  in 
New  York,  Sam.  Why,  the  first  week  I  spent 
here  I  thought  the  stillness  would  kill  me.  I 
couldn't  actually  go  to  sleep  because  it  was  so 
quiet.  I  wish  uncle  and  aunt  would  move  to 
the  city.  They  have  money  enough." 

"  Aunt  Martha  likes  to  be  quiet,  and  uncle  is 
too  much  wrapped  up  in  the  art  of  scientific 
farming,  as  he  calls  it.  I'll  wager  he'll  stay  on 
this  farm  experimenting  and  writing  works  on 
agriculture  until  he  dies.  Well,  it's  a  good 
enough  way  to  do,  I  suppose,  but  it  wouldn't 
suit  me.  I  want  to  see  something  of  life — as 
father  did." 

"  So  do  I.  Perhaps  we'll  see  something  when 
we  get  to  boarding  school." 

"  Where  are  we  to  go?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  Some  strict  institution,  you 
can  be  sure  of  that.  Uncle  Randolph  told 
aunty  it  was  time  the  three  of  us  were  taken  in 
hand.  He  said  Dick  wasn't  so  bad,  but  you 
and  I " 

"  Were  the  bother  of  his  life,  eh?  " 

"  Something  about  like  that.  He  doesn't  see 
any  fun  in  tricks.  He  expects  us  to  just  walk 
around  the  farm,  or  study,  and,  above  all  things, 
keep  quiet,  so  that  his  scientific  investigations 
are  not  disturbed.  Why  doesn't  he  let  us  go 
out  riding,  or  boating  on  the  river,  or  down  to 


INTRODUCING   THE  ROVER  BOYS.  3 

the  village  to  play  baseball  with  the  rest  of  the 
fellows?  A  real  live  American  boy  can't  be  still 
all  the  time,  and  he  ought  to  know  it,"  and,  with 
a  decided  shake  of  his  curly  head,  Tom  Rover 
took  a  baseball  from  his  pocket  and  began  to 
throw  it  up  against  the  side  of  the  farmhouse, 
catching  it  each  time  as  it  came  down. 

Tom  had  thrown  the  ball  up  just  four  times 
when  a  pair  of  blinds  to  an  upper  window  flew 
open  with  a  crash,  and  the  head  of  a  stern-look- 
ing elderly  gentleman  appeared.  The  gentle- 
man had  gray  hair,  very  much  tumbled,  and 
wore  big  spectacles. 

"Hi!  hi!  boys,  what  does  this  mean?"  came 
in  a  high-pitched  voice.  "  What  are  you  ham- 
mering on  the  house  for,  when  I  am  just  in  the 
midst  of  a  deep  problem  concerning  the  rota- 
tion of  crops  on  a  hillside  with  northern  ex- 
posure? " 

"  Excuse  me,  Uncle  Randolph,  I  didn't  think 
to  disturb  you,"  answered  Tom  meekly.  "  I'll 
put  the  ball  away." 

"  You  never  stop  to  think,  Thomas.  Give 
me  that  ball." 

"Oh,  let  me  keep  it,  Uncle  Randolph!  I 
won't  throw  it  against  the  house  again,  honor 
bright." 

"  You'll  forget  that  promise  in  ten  minutes, 
Thomas;  I  know  you  well.  Throw  the  ball 


4  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

up,"  and  Mr.  Randolph  Rover  held  out  his 
hands. 

"All  right,  then;  here  you  go,"  answered 
Tom,  somewhat  put  out  to  thus  lose  a  ball  which 
had  cost  him  his  week's  spending  money;  and  he 
sent  the  sphere  flying  upward  at  a  smart  speed. 
Mr.  Rover  made  a  clutch  for  it,  but  the  ball 
slipped  through  his  hands  and  landed  plump  on 
his  nose. 

"  Oh !  "  he  cried,  and  disappeared  from  sight, 
but  reappeared  a  moment  later,  to  shake  his  fist 
at  Tom. 

"You  young  rascal!  You  did  that  on  pur- 
pose !  *'  he  spluttered,  and  brought  forth  his 
handkerchief,  for  his  nose  had  begun  to  bleed. 
"  Was  anyone  ever  tormented  so  by  three 
boys?  " 

"  Now  you  are  in  for  it  again,  Tom,"  whis- 
pered Sam. 

"  I  didn't  mean  to  hit  you,  Uncle  Randolph. 
Why  didn't  you  catch  it  on  the  fly?  " 

"  On  the  fly?  "  repeated  the  uncle.  "  Do  you 
suppose  I  am  accustomed  to  catching  cannon 
balls?  " 

"  Didn't  you  ever  play  baseball?  " 

"  Never.  I  spent  my  time  in  some  useful 
study."  The  elderly  gentleman  continued  to 
keep  his  handkerchief  to  his  nose,  and  adjusted 
his  spectacles.  "  Thank  fortune,  you  are  all 


INTRODUCING    THE  ROVER  BOYS.  5 

to  go  to  boarding  school  next  week,  and  we  will 
once  more  have  a  little  peace  and  quietness 
around  Valley  Brook! " 

"  Where  are  we  to  go,  Uncle  Randolph? " 
asked  Sam. 

'*  You  will  learn  that  Monday  morning,  when 
you  start  off." 

"  It  wouldn't  hurt  to  tell  us  now,"  grumbled 
Tom. 

"  You  must  learn  to  be  patient,  Thomas. 
My  one  hope  is  that  life  at  boarding  school 
makes  a  real  man  of  you." 

"  Of  course  we  are  all  to  go  together?  " 

"  Yes,  you  are  to  go  together,  although  I  can 
get  along  with  Richard  very  well — he  is  so 
much  more  quiet  and  studious  than  you  or 
Samuel." 

"  I  reckon  he  takes  after  you,  Uncle  Ran- 
dolph." 

"  If  so,  he  might  do  worse.  By  the  way, 
what  were  both  of  you  doing  here?  " 

"  Nothing,"  came  from  Sam. 

"  We  haven't  anything  to  do.  This  farm  is 
the  slowest  place  on  earth,"  added  Tom. 

"  Why  do  you  not  study  the  scientific  and 
agricultural  works  that  I  mentioned  to  you? 
See  what  I  have  done  for  scientific  farming." 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  a  farmer,"  said  Tom. 
"  I'd  rather  be  a  sailor." 


0  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  A  sailor!  "  gasped  Randolph  Rover.  "  Of 
all  things!  Why,  a  sailor  is  the  merest  nobody 
on  earth!  " 

"  I  guess  you  mean  on  the  sea,  uncle,"  said 
Sam  with  a  grin. 

"  Don't  joke  me,  Samuel.  Yes,  Thomas — 
the  calling  of  a  sailor  amounts  to  absolutely 
nothing.  Scientific  farming  is  the  thing — 
nothing  more  noble  on  the  face  of  the  earth  than 
to  till  the  soil." 

"  I  never  saw  you  behind  a  plow,  Uncle  Ran- 
dolph," answered  Tom,  with  a  twinkle  in  his 
blue  eyes.  "  Besides,  I  heard  you  say  that  the 
farm  ran  behind  last  year." 

"Tut,  tut,  boy!  you  know  nothing  about  it. 

1  made  a  slight  miscalculation  in  crops,  that  was 
all.     But  this  year  we  shall  do  better." 

"  You  lost  money  year  before  last,  too,"  com- 
mented Sam. 

"Who  told  you  that?" 

"  Mr.  Woddie,  the  storekeeper  at  the  Cor- 
ners." 

"  Mr.  Woddie  may  understand  storekeeping, 
but  he  knows  nothing  of  farming,  scientific  or 
otherwise.  I  spent  several  thousands  of  dollars 
in  experimenting,  but  the  money  was  not  lost. 
We  shall  soon  have  grand  results.  I  shall  as- 
tonish the  whole  of  New  York  State  at  the  next 
meeting  of  our  agricultural  society,"  and  Mr. 


INTRODUCING   THE  ROVER  BOYS.  ? 

Randolph  Rover  waved  his  hand  grandilo- 
quently. It  was  easy  to  see  that  scientific  farm- 
ing was  his  hobby. 

"Randolph!"  It  was  the  voice  of  Mrs. 
Rover,  who  now  appeared  beside  her  husband. 
"  What  is  the  matter  with  your  nose?  " 

"  Tom  hit  me  with  his  ball.  It  is  all  right 
now,  although  it  did  bleed  some." 

"The  bad  boy!  But  it  is  just  like  him. 
Sarah  has  given  notice  that  she  will  leave  at  the 
end  of  her  month.  She  says  she  can't  stand  the 
pranks  Tom  and  Sam  play  on  her." 

"  She  need  not  go — for  the  boys  are  going  to 
boarding  school,  you  know." 

'*  She  says  you  promised  to  send  them  off  be- 
iore." 

"  Well,  they  shall  go  this  time,  rest  assured  of 
thiat.  I  cannot  stand  their  racing  up  and  down 
styirs,  and  their  noise,  any  longer.  They  go 
Monday  morning." 

"  Better  send  them  off  to-morrow." 

"  Well — er — that  is  rather  sudden." 

"  Sarah's  month  is  up  Friday.  She  will  surely 
go  unless  the  boys  are  out  of  the  house, — and 
she  is  the  best  cook  I  have  ever  had." 

"  Excepting  when  she  burnt  the  custard  pies," 
put  in  Tom. 

"  And  when  she  salted  the  rice  pudding," 
added  Sam. 


8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"Silence,  both  of  you!  Randolph,  do  send 
them  off." 

"  Very  well,  I  will.  Boys,  you  must  go  away 
from  the  house  for  an  hour  or  two." 

"  Can  we  go  fishing  or  swimming?  "  asked 
Tom. 

"  No,  I  don't  want  you  to  go  near  the  river — 
you  may  get  drowned." 

"  We  can  both  swim,"  ventured  Sam. 

"  Never  mind — it  is  not  safe — and  your  poor 
father  left  you  in  my  care." 

"  Can  we  go  down  to  the  village?  " 
1          <rNo,  you  might  get  into  bad  company  there." 

"  Then  where  shall  we  go?  "  came  from  both 
boys  simultaneously. 

Randolph  Rover  scratched  his  head  in  per- 
plexity. He  had  never  had  any  children  of  his 
own,  and  to  manage  his  brother's  offspring  was 
clearly  beyond  him.  "  You  might — er — go 
down  to  the  cornfield,  and  study  the  formation 
of  the  ears " 

"  Send  them  blackberrying,"  suggested  Mrs. 
Rover.  "  We  want  the  berries  for  pies  to- 
morrow, and  it  will  give  them  something  to  do." 

"  Very  well;  boys,  you  may  go  blackberrying. 
And  mind  you  keep  out  of  mischief." 

"We'll  mind,"  answered  Tom.  "But  you 
might  let  me  have  that  ball." 

"  I  will  give  it  to  you  in  the  morning,"  an- 


INTRODUCING   THE  ROVER  BOYS. 


swered  Randolph  Rover,  and  turned 
the  window  with  his  wife.  *^ 

As  soon  as  they  were  out  of  sigh: 
up  both  hands  in  mock  tragedy, 
ratio,  this  excitement  killeth  me! 
stage  whisper.     "  Sent  blackberryii 
out  of  mischief!    Sam,  what  are  we| 

"  Well,  it'c  better  than  moping 
nothing.  For  my  part,  I  am  gla< 
to  boarding  school,  and  the  soo: 
But  I  would  like  to  know  where 

"  If    only    we    were    going 
academy!  " 

"  Hurrah!  just  the  thing!     Bui 
Get  the  berry  baskets  and  let  us 
way,  where  is  Dick?  " 

"  Gone  to  the  village  for  the 
comes  down  the  road  now,"  am 
to  a  distant  path  back  of  the  meaj 

The  two  boys  hurried  into  a  wi 
the  large  farmhouse  and  procun 
two  tin  pails.     With  these  in  h; 
in  the   direction   of  the  berry 
along  the  path  that  Dick  Rove; 
their  intention  being  to  head 
and  see  if  he  had  any  letters  for 

Of  the  three  Rover  boys,  Rid 
called  Dick,  was  the  eldest, 
tall,  slender,  and  with  dark  eyej 


away  from 

""orn  threw 

1ack,  Ho 

:ried  in  a 

>  keep  us 

ng  to? " 

doing 

go 


IO 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 


He  was  a  rather  quiet  boy,  one  who  loved  to 
read  and  study,  although  he  was  not  above  hav- 
ing a  good  time  now  and  then,  when  he  felt  like 
"  breaking  loose,"  as  Tom  expressed  it. 

Next  to  Richard  came  Tom,  one  year 
younger,  as  merry  a  lad  as  there  was  to  be  found, 
full  of  life  and  "  go,"  not  above  playing  all  sorts 
of  tricks  on  people,  but  with  a  heart  of  gold,  as 
even  his  uncle  and  aunt  felt  bound  to  admit. 

Sam  was  the  youngest.  He  was  but  four- 
teen, but  of  the  same  height  and  general  appear- 
ance as  Tom,  and  the  pair  might  readily  have 
been  taken  for  twins.  He  was  not  as  full  of 
pranks  as  Tom,  but  excelled  his  brothers  in 
many  outdoor  sports. 

The  history  of  the  three  Rover  boys  was  a 
curious  one.  They  were  the  only  children  of 
one  Anderson  Rover,  a  gentleman  who  had  been 
widely  known  as  a  mineral  expert,  gold  mine 
proprietor,  and  traveler.  Mr.  Anderson  Rover 
had  gone  to  California  a  poor  young  man  and 
had  there  made  a  fortune  in  the  mines.  Re- 
turning to  the  East,  he  had  married  and  settled 
down  in  New  York  City,  and  there  the  three 
boys  had  been  born. 

An  epidemic  of  fever  had  taken  off  Mrs. 
Rover  when  Richard  was  but  ten  year*-  of  age. 
The  shock  had  come  so  suddenly  that  A.  derson 
Rover  was  dazed,  and  for  several  weeks  the  man 


INTRODUCING   THE  ROVER  BOYS.  II 

knew  not  what  to  do.  "  Take  all  of  the  money 
I  made  in  the  West,  but  give  me  back  my  wife!  " 
he  said  heartbrokenly;  but  this  could  not  be, 
and  soon  after  he  left  his  three  boys  in  charge 
of  a  housekeeper  and  set  off  to  tour  Europe, 
thinking  that  a  change  of  scene  would  prove  a 
benefit. 

When  he  came  back  he  seemed  a  changed 
man.  He  was  restless,  and  could  not  remain  at 
home  for  more  than  a  few  weeks  at  a  time.  He 
placed  the  boys  at  a  boarding  school  in  New 
York  and  returned  to  the  West,  where  he  made 
another  strike  in  the  gold  mines;  and  when  he 
came  back  once  more  he  was  reported  to  be 
worth  between  two  and  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars. 

But  now  a  new  idea  had  come  into  his  head. 
He  had  been  reading  up  on  Africa,  and  had 
reached  the  conclusion  that  there  must  be  gold 
in  the  great  unexplored  regions  of  that  country. 
He  determined  to  go  to  Africa,  fit  out  an  expe- 
dition, and  try  his  luck. 

"  It  will  not  cost  me  over  ten  to  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars,"  he  said  to  his  brother  Randolph. 
"  And  it  may  make  me  a  millionaire." 

"  If  you  are  bound  to  go,  I  will  not  stop 
you,"  had  been  Randolph  Rover's  reply.  "  But 
what  of  your  boys  in  the  meanwhile?  " 

This  was  a  serious  question,   for  Anderson 


12  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

Rover  knew  well  the  risk  he  was  running,  knew 
well  that  many  a  white  man  had  gone  into  the 
interior  of  Africa  never  to  return.  At  last  it  was 
settled  that  Randolph  Rover  should  become 
Dick,  Tom,  and  Sam's  temporary  guardian. 
This  accomplished,  Anderson  Rover  set  off;  and 
that  was  the  last  any  of  his  family  had  ever  heard 
of  him. 

Was  he  dead  or  alive?  Hundreds  of  times 
had  the  boys  and  their  uncle  pondered  that  ques- 
tion. Each  mail  was  watched  with  anxiety,  but 
day  after  day  brought  no  news,  until  the  waiting 
became  an  old  story,  and  all  settled  down  to  the 
dismal  conviction  that  the  daring  explorer  must 
be  dead.  He  had  landed  and  gone  into  the  in- 
terior with  three  white  men  and  twenty  natives, 
and  that  was  all  that  could  be  ascertained  con- 
cerning him. 

At  the  time  of  Anderson  Rover's  departure 
Randolph  had  been  on  the  point  of  purchasing 
a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  in  the  Mohawk 
Valley  of  New  York  State.  The  land  had  not 
changed  hands  until  a  year  later,  however, 
and  then  Dick,  Tom,  and  Sam  were  called  upon 
to  give  up  their  life  in  the  metropolis  and  settle 
down  in  the  country,  a  mile  away  from  the  vil- 
lage of  Dexter  Corners. 

For  a  month  things  had  gone  very  well,  for 
all  was  new,  and  it  seemed  like  a  "  picnic,"  to 


INTRODUCING    THE  ROVER  BOYS.  13 

use  Tom's  way  of  expressing  it.  They  had  run 
over  the  farm  from  end  to  end,  climbed  to  the 
roof  of  the  barn,  explored  the  brook,  and  Sam 
had  broken  his  arm  by  falling  from  the  top  of  a 
cherry  tree.  But  after  that  the  novelty  wore 
away,  and  the  boys  began  to  fret. 

"  They  want  something  to  do,"  thought  Ran- 
dolph Rover,  and  set  them  to  work  studying 
scientific  farming,  as  he  called  it.  At  this  Dick 
made  some  progress,  but  the  uncle  could  do 
nothing  with  Tom  and  Sam.  Then  the  last  two 
broke  loose  and  began  to  play  pranks  on  every- 
body that  came  along,  and  life  became  little 
short  of  a  burden  to  the  studious  Randolph  and 
his  quiet-minded  spouse. 

"  I  must  send  them  off — to  a  boarding  school, 
or  somewhere,"  Randolph  Rover  would  say, 
but  he  kept  putting  the  matter  off,  hoping 
against  hope  that  he  might  soon  hear  from  his 
lost  brother. 


CHAPTER   II. 

AN    ENCOUNTER    ON    THE    ROAD. 

"  I'll  race  you  to  the  path,"  said  Sam,  when 
the  woodshed  was  left  behind. 

"  All  right,"  answered  Tom,  who  was  always 
ready  to  run.  "  Toe  the  mark  here.  Now 
then — one,  two,  three!  Go!  " 

And  away  they  went  across  the  meadow,  leap- 
ing two  ditches  with  the  agility  of  a  pair  of  deer, 
and  tearing  through  the  small  brush  beyond  re- 
gardless of  the  briers  and  the  rents  their  nether 
garments  might  sustain.  At  first  Tom  took  the 
lead,  but  Sam  speedily  overhauled  and  then 
passed  him. 

"  It's  no  use — you  always  could  outrun  me," 
panted  Tom,  as  he  came  to  a  stop  when  Sam 
crossed  the  footpath  ten  yards  ahead  of  him. 
"  I  can't  understand  it  either.  My  legs  are  just 
as  long  as  yours,  and  my  lungs  just  as  big,  too, 
I  think." 

"  You  want  to  do  your  running  scientifi- 
cally, Tom.  That  athletic  instructor  in  New 
York " 

"  Oh,  bother  your  scientific  things,  Sam! 
Uncle  gives  us  enough  of  that,  so  don't  you 


AN  ENCOUNTER   ON   THE  ROAD.  1 5 

start  in.  I  wonder  if  Dick  has  got  a  letter  from 
Larry  Colby?  He  promised  to  write  last  week. 
He  is  going  to  a  boarding  school  soon." 

"  We'll  know  in  a  few  minutes.  I  wonder 
where  Larry Gracious,  listen !  " 

Sam  broke  off  short,  as  a  loud  cry  for  help 
reached  their  ears.  It  came  from  the  footpath, 
at  a  point  where  it  ran  through  a  grove  of  beech 
trees. 

"  It's  Dick's  voice!  He  wants  help!  "  burst 
from  Tom's  lips.  "  Come  on!  "  and  he  set  off 
as  rapidly  as  his  exhausted  condition  would  per- 
mit. As  before,  Sam  readily  outdistanced  him, 
and  soon  came  upon  the  scene  of  a  most  brutal 
encounter. 

A  burly  tramp,  all  of  six  feet  in  height,  had 
attacked  Dick  Rover  and  thrown  him  upon  his 
back.  The  tramp  was  now  kneeling  upon  the 
prostrate  boy's  chest,  at  the  same  time  trying  to 
wrench  a  watch  from  Dick's  vest  pocket. 

"  Keep  still  there,  or  I'll  knock  you  on  the 
head !  "  cried  the  tramp,  as,  letting  go  of  the 
watch  chain,  he  clapped  a  dirty  hand  over  Dick's 
mouth. 

"I — won't — kee — keep  still!"  spluttered 
Dick.  "Let— me— up!" 

"  You  will  keep  still — if  you  know  what  is 
best  for  you.  I  have  your  pocketbook,  and  now 
I  am  bound  to  have  that  watch  and  that  ring." 


16  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  No — no!  Don't  rob  me  of  the  watch!  It 
belonged  to  my  father! "  panted  Dick,  and  as 
the  watch  came  out  of  the  pocket  he  made  a 
clutch  at  it.  "Help!  help!" 

"  Will  you  shut  up !  "  burst  out  the  tramp 
fiercely,  and  struck  at  the  youth  with  his  fist. 

It  was  at  this  juncture  that  Sam  put  in  an  ap- 
pearance. A  glance  told  him  how  matters 
stood,  and  without  waiting  an  instant  he  came 
up  behind  the  tramp,  and,  catching  him  by  the 
shoulders,  hurled  him  backward. 

"  Sam!  Good  for  you!  "  burst  out  Dick  joy- 
fully. "  Don't  let  him  get  away!  " 

"  What  do  you  mean,  boy?  "  demanded  the 
ruffian,  as  he  turned  over  and  leaped  to  his  feet. 

"  You  let  my  brother  alone — that's  what  I 
mean,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Give  me  my  pocketbook  and  that  watch! " 
went  on  Dick,  for  the  tramp  held  both  articles, 
one  in  each  hand. 

"  Yes,  I  will — not,"  was  the  ready  reply,  and, 
turning  suddenly,  the  tramp  started  through  the 
grove  of  trees  on  a  run. 

Without  waiting,  Sam  ran  after  him,  followed 
by  Tom,  who  had  now  arrived.  Dick  came  be- 
hind, too  much  winded  by  being  thrown  on  his 
back  to  keep  up  with  them. 

"  He  is  making  for  the  river! "  cried  Tom, 
after  running  for  several  minutes  without  gain- 


AN  ENCOUNTER   ON   THE  ROAD.  17 

ing  on  the  thief.  "  If  he  has  a  boat  lre'11  get 
away!  " 

"  I  don't  think  he  has  a  boat,  Tom.  He  looks 
like  a  regular  tramp." 

"  We'll  soon  find  out." 

They  could  not  see  the  ruffian,  but  they  could 
hear  him  quite  plainly  as  he  crashed  through  the 
brush  beyond  the  grove  of  trees.  Then  came  a. 
crash  and  a  yell  of  pain. 

"  He  has  stumbled  and  fallen!  "  said  Sam,  and 
redoubled  his  speed.  Soon  he  reached  the  spot 
where  the  tramp  had  gone  down.  He  was 
about  to  proceed  further  when  a  well-known  ob- 
ject caught  his  eye. 

"  Here  is  the  pocketbook!  "  he  burst  out,  and 
picked  the  article  up.  A  hasty  examination 
showed  that  the  contents  were  intact;  and  the 
two  boys  continued  the  pursuit,  with  Dick  still 
following. 

They  were  now  going  downhill  toward  the 
river,  and  presently  struck  a  patch  of  wet 
meadow. 

"  We  must  be  careful  here,"  observed  Tom, 
and  just  then  sank  up  to  his  ankles  in  water  and 
mud.  But  the  tramp  could  now  be  seen  head- 
ing directly  for  the  river,  and  they  continued  to 
follow  him. 

They  were  still  fifty  yards  from  the  shore 
when  Sam  uttered  a  cry  of  dismay. 


IS  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  He's  got  a  boat!" 

"  So  he  has.     Stop  there,  you  thief!  " 

"Stop  yourself,  or  I'll  shoot  one  of  you!" 
growled  the  tramp,  as  he  leaped  into  a  flat- 
bottom  craft  moored  beside  a  fallen  tree.  He 
had  no  pistol,  but  thought  he  might  scare  the 
boys. 

They  came  to  a  halt,  and  an  instant  later  the 
flat-bottom  craft  shot  away  from  the  river  bank. 
By  this  time  Dick  came  up,  all  out  of  breath. 

"  So  he  has  gotten  away!  "  he  cried  in  dismay. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Sam,  "  but  here  is  your 
pocketbook." 

"  And  what  of  my  watch — the  one  father  gave 
to  me  before  he  left  for  Africa?  " 

"  He's  got  that  yet,  I  suppose,"  said  Tom. 

At  this  Dick  gave  a  groan,  for  the  wratch  was 
a  fine  gold  one  which  Mr.  Rover  had  worn  for 
years.  Dick  had  begged  for  the  timepiece,  and 
it  had  been  intrusted  to  him  at  the  last  moment. 

"  We  must  get  that  watch  back  somehow!  " 
he  said.  "  Isn't  there  another  boat  around 
here?  " 

"  There  is  one  up  to  Harrison's  farm." 

"  That  is  quarter  of  a  mile  away." 

"  I  don't  think  there  is  any  nearer." 

"  And  the  river  is  all  of  two  hundred  feet  wide 
here!  What  shall  we  do?  " 

It  was  a  puzzling  question,  and  all  three  of  the 


AN  ENCOUNTER   ON   THE  ROAD.  19 

fcoys  stared  blankly  at  each  other.  In  the  mean' 
time  the  thief  had  picked  up  a  pair  of  oars  and 
was  using  them  in  a  clumsy  fashion  which 
showed  plainly  that  he  was  not  used  to  handling 
them. 

"  If  we  had  a  boat  we  could  catch  him  easily," 
observed  Tom.  Then  his  eyes  fell  upon  the 
fallen  tree.  "  I  have  an  idea!  Let  us  try  to 
get  across  on  that!  I  won't  mind  a  wetting  if 
only  we  can  get  Dick's  watch  back." 

"  Yes,  yes;  just  the  thing! "  put  in  his  elder 
brother  quickly. 

All  hands  ran  down  to  the  fallen  tree,  which 
was  about  a  foot  in  diameter  and  not  over 
twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  in  length.  It  lay  half 
in  the  water  already,  and  it  was  an  easy  matter 
to  shove  it  off. 

"  We  can't  do  much  without  oars  or  a  pole," 
said  Tom.  "  Wait  a  moment,"  and  he  ran  back 
to  where  he  had  seen  another  fallen  tree,  a  tall, 
slender  maple  sapling.  He  soon  had  this  in 
hand;  and,  cleared  of  its  branches,  it  made  a 
capital  pole.  Dick  and  Sam  sat  astride  of  the 
tree  in  the  water,  and  Tom  stood  against  an  up- 
right branch  and  shoved  off.  The  river  was  not 
deep,  and  he  kept  on  reaching  bottom  without 
difficulty. 

By  this  time  the  tramp  was  halfway  across  the 
stream,  which  was  flowing  rapidly  and  carrying 


ao  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

both  boat  and  tree  down  toward  a  bend  quarter 
of  a  mile  below. 

"  Go  on  back,  unless  you  want  to  be  shot! " 
cried  the  man  savagely,  but  they  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  the  threat  as  no  pistol  appeared;  and, 
seeing  this,  the  thief  redoubled  his  efforts  to  get 
away. 

He  was  still  a  quarter  of  the  distance  from  the 
opposite  shore,  and  the  boys  on  the  tree  were 
in  midstream,  when  Sam  uttered  a  shout. 
"  There  goes  one  of  his  oars !  We  can  catch 
him  now — if  we  try  hard!  " 

It  was  true  that  the  oar  was  gone,  and  in  his 
anxiety  to  regain  the  blade  the  tramp  nearly  lost 
the  second  oar.  But  his  efforts  were  unavail- 
ing, and  he  started  to  paddle  himself  to  the  bank, 
meanwhile  watching  his  pursuers  anxiously. 

"We'll  get  him,"  said  Dick  encouragingly, 

•i^^^ 

when,  splash!  Tom  went  overboard  like  a  flash, 
the  lower  end  of  his  pole  having  slipped  on  a 
smooth  rock  of  the  river  bottom.  There  was  a 
grand  splutter,  and  it  was  fully  a  minute  before 
Tom  reappeared — twenty  feet  away  and  minus 
his  pole. 

"  Hi!  help  me  on  board,  somebody! "  he  splut- 
tered, for  he  had  gone  overboard  so  quickly  that 
he  had  swallowed  a  large  quantity  of  water. 

Both  Sam  and  Dick  tried  to  reach  him,  but 
could  not.  Then  the  current  caught  the  tree 


AN  ENCOUNTER   ON   THE  ROAD.  21 

and  whirled  it  around  and  around  until  both 
boys  began  to  grow  dizzy. 

Seeing  they  could  not  aid  him,  and  getting 
back  a  little  of  his  wind,  Tom  struck  out  for  the 
tree.  But  the  water  running  over  his  face 
blinded  him,  and  ere  he  knew  he  was  so  close 
the  tree  came  circling  around  and  struck  him  on 
the  side  of  the  head. 

"  Oh!  "  he  moaned,  and  sank  from  sight. 

"Tom's  hit!"  gasped  Sam.  "He'll  be 
drowned  sure  now! " 

"  Not  if  I  can  help  him !  "  burst  out  Dick,  and 
leaped  overboard  to  his  brother's  assistance. 
But  Tom  was  still  out  of  sight,  and  for  several 
seconds  could  not  be  located. 

Sam  waited  anxiously,  half  of  a  mind  to  jump 
into  the  river  himself.  The  tramp  was  now  for- 
gotten, and  landed  on  the  opposite  bank  unno- 
ticed. He  immediately  dove  into  the  bushes, 
and  disappeared  from  view. 

At  last  Dick  caught  sight  of  Tom's  arm  and 
made  a  clutch  for  it.  Hardly  had  he  taken  hold 
than  Tom  swung  around  and  caught  him  by  the 
throat  in  a  deathlike  grip,  for  he  was  too  be- 
wildered to  know  what  he  was  doing. 

"Save  me!"  he  groaned.  "Oh,  my  head! 
Save  me!  " 

"  I  will,  Tom;  only  don't  hold  me  so  tight," 
answered  Dick.  "  I — can't  get  any  air." 


22  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  I  can't  swim — I'm  all  upset,"  was  the  reply; 
and  Tom  clutched  his  elder  brother  tighter  than 
ever. 

Seeing  there  was  no  help  for  it,  Dick  caught 
hold  of  the  fingers  around  his  throat  and  forced 
them  loose  by  main  force.  Then  he  swung  him- 
self behind  Tom  and  caught  him  under  the  arms, 
in  the  meantime  treading  water  to  keep  both  of 
them  afloat. 

"  Sam,  can't  you  bring  that  tree  closer?  "  he 
called  out. 

There  was  no  reply,  and,  looking  around,  he 
saw  that  the  tree  and  his  younger  brother  were 
a  hundred  yards  away,  and  sailing  down  the 
river  as  rapidly  as  the  increasing  current  could 
carry  them  for  quarter  of  a  mile  below  were  what 
were  known  as  the  Humpback  Falls — a  series  of 
dangerous  rapids  through  which  but  few  boats 
had  ever  passed  without  serious  mishap. 

"  I  reckon  Sam  is  having  his  hands  full,"  he 
thought.  "  I  must  get  Tom  to  the  shore  alone. 
But  it  is  going  to  be  a  tough  job,  I  can  see  that." 

"  Oh,  Dick!  "  came  from  Tom.  "  My  head! 
It  is  spinning  like  a  top!  " 

"  The  tree  hit  you,  Tom.  But  do  keep  quiet, 
and  I'll  take  care  of  you." 

"  I — I  can't  swim — I  feel  like  a  wet  rag 
through  and  through." 

"  Never  mind  about  swimming.     Only  don't 


AN  ENCOUNTER   ON   THE  ROAD.  23 

catch  me  by  the  throat  again,  and  we'll  be  all 
right,"  was  Dick's  reassuring  reply,  and  as  his 
brother  became  more  passive  he  struck  out  for 
the  bank  upon  which  the  thief  had  landed. 

The  current  carried  them  on  and  on,  but  not 
so  swiftly  as  it  was  carrying  the  tree.  Soon 
they  were  approaching  the  bend.  Dick  was 
swimming  manfully,  but  was  now  all  but  ex- 
hausted. 

"  You  can't  make  it,  Dick,"  groaned  Tom. 
"  Better  save  yourself." 

"  And    let    you    go?     No   indeed,    Tom.     I 

have  a  little  strength  left  and Hurrah,  I've 

struck  bottom!  " 

Dick  was  right :  his  feet  had  landed  on  a  sand- 
bar; and,  standing  up,  both  boys  found  the  water 
only  to  their  armpits.  Under  such  circum- 
stances they  waded  ashore  with  ease,  and  here 
threw  themselves  down  to  rest. 

"  That  thief  is  gone,"  said  Dick  dismally. 
"  And  my  watch  too!  " 

"  But  where  is  Sam?  "  questioned  Tom,  then 
looked  at  his  brother  meaningly. 

"The  Humpback  Falls!"  came  from  Dick. 
"  Sam!  Sam! "  he  yelled;  "  look  out  where  you 
are  going!  " 

But  no  answer  came  back  to  his  cry,  for  Sam 
had  long  since  floated  out  of  hearing. 


CHAPTER  III. 

SAM'S  ADVENTURE    AT    HUMPBACK    FALLS. 

For  several  minutes  after  Dick  leaped  over- 
board to  Tom's  assistance,  Sam's  one  thought 
was  of  his  two  brothers.  Would  they  reach  the 
tree  or  the  shore  in  safety?  Fervently  he  prayed 
they  would. 

The  tree  went  around  and  around,  as  a  side 
current  caught  it,  and  presently  the  whirlings 
became  so  rapid  that  Sam  grew  dizzy  and  had 
to  hold  tight  to  keep  from  falling  off. 

He  saw  Dick  catch  Tom  from  the  back  and 
start  for  shore,  and  then  like  a  flash  the  realiza- 
tion of  his  own  situation  dawned  upon  him.  He 
was  on  the  tree  with  no  means  of  guiding  his 
improvised  craft,  and  sweeping  nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  rapids  of  which  he  had  heard  so 
much  but  really  knew  so  little. 

"  I  must  get  this  tree  to  the  river  bank,"  he 
said  to  himself,  and  looked  around  for  some  limb 
which  might  be  cut  off  and  used  for  a  pole. 

But  no  such  limb  was  handy,  and  even  had 
there  been  there  would  have  been  no  time  in 

34 


SAM'S  ADVENTURE.  ?.$ 

which  to  prepare  it  for  use,  for  the  rapids  were 
now  in  plain  sight,  the  water  boiling  and  foam- 
ing as  it  darted  over  one  rock  and  another,  in  a 
descent  of  thirty  feet  in  forty  yards. 

"  This  won't  do! "  muttered  the  boy,  and 
wondered  if  it  would  not  be  best  to  leap  over- 
board and  try  to  swim  to  safety.  But  one  look 
at  that  swirling  current  made  him  draw  back. 

"  I  reckon  I  had  best  stick  to  the  tree  and 
trust  to  luck  to  pass  the  rocks  in  safety,"  he 
muttered,  and  clutched  the  tree  with  a  firmer 
hold  than  ever. 

The  strange  craft  had  now  stopped  circling, 
and  was  shooting  straight  ahead  for  a  rock  that 
stood  several  feet  above  water.  On  it  went,  and 
Sam  closed  his  eyes  in  expectancy  of  an  awfu? 
shock  which  would  pitch  him  headlong,  he  knew 
not  to  where. 

But  then  came  a  swerve  to  the  left,  and  the 
tree  grated  along  the  edge  of  the  rock.  Before 
Sam  could  recover  his  breath,  down  it  went  over 
the  first  line  of  rapids.  Here  it  stuck  fast  for  a 
moment,  then  turned  over  and  went  on,  throw- 
ing Sam  on  the  under  side. 

The  boy's  feet  struck  bottom,  and  he  bobbed 
up  like  a  cork.  Again  he  clutched  the  tree,  and 
on  the  two  went  a  distance  of  ten  feet  further. 
But  now  the  tree  became  jammed  between  two 
other  rocks,  and  here  it  stuck,  with  Sam  clutch- 


26  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

ing  one  end  and  the  water  rushing  in  a  torrent 
over  the  other. 

For  the  moment  the  boy  could  do  little  but 
hold  fast,  but  as  his  breath  came  back  to  him 
he  climbed  on  top  of  the  tree  and  took  a  look  at 
the  situation. 

It  was  truly  a  dismaying  one.  He  was  in  the 
very  center  of  the  rapids,  and  the  shore  on  either 
side  of  him  was  fifty  to  sixty  feet  away. 

"  How  am  I  ever  to  get  to  the  bank?  "  he 
asked  himself.  "  I  can't  wade  or  swim,  for  the 
current  is  far  too  strong.  I'm  in  a  pickle,  and  no 
mistake.  I  wonder  if  Dick  and  Tom  are  on 
solid  earth  yet?  " 

He  raised  his  voice  into  a  shout — not  once, 
but  several  times.  At  first  only  the  echoes  an- 
swered him,  but  presently  came  a  reply  from  a 
distance. 

"Sam!  Sam!  Where  are  you?"  It  was 
Dick  calling,  and  he  was  running  along  the  bank 
alone,  Tom  being  too  exhausted  to  accompany 
him. 

"  Here  I  am— in  the  middle  of  the  falls!  " 

"  Where?  " 

"  Out  here — in  the  middle  of  the  falls!  " 

"  Great  Caesar,  Sam!  Can't  you  wade 
ashore?  " 

"  No;  the  current  is  so  strong  I  am  afraid  to 
try." 


SAM'S  ADVENTURE.  «7 

In  a  minute  more  Dick  reached  a  spot  oppo- 
site to  where  the  tree  rested.  As  he  took  in  the 
situation  his  face  clouded  in  perplexity. 

"  You  are  right — don't  try  wading,"  he  said. 
"  If  you  do,  you'll  have  your  skull  cracked  openi 
on  the  rocks.     I'll  have  to  get  a  rope  and  haul 
you  off." 

"All  right;  but  do  hurry,  for  this  tree  may 
start  on  again  at  any  instant! " 

To  procure  a  rope  was  no  easy  matter,  for 
nothing  of  that  sort  was  at  hand,  and  the  near- 
est farmhouse  was  some  distance  away.  Yet, 
without  thinking  twice,  Dick  set  off  for  the 
farmhouse,  arriving  there  inside  of  five  minutes. 

"  I  need  a  rope,  quick,  Mr.  Darrel,"  he  said. 
"  My  brother  is  in  the  middle  of  the  Humpback 
Falls  on  a  tree,  and  I  want  to  save  him." 

"  Why,  Dick  Rover,  you  don't  tell  me!  "  cried 
Joel  Darrel,  a  farmer,  who  had  often  worked  for 
Randolph  Rover.  "  Sure  I'll  get  a  washline 
this  minnit !  "  and  he  ran  for  the  kitchen  shed. 

Luckily  the  line  was  just  where  the  farmer 
supposed  it  would  be,  and  away  went  man  and 
boy,  Dick  leading,  until  the  river  bank  was 
again  reached. 

"  There  he  is,  Mr.  Darrel.  How  can  we  best 
help  him,  do  you  think?  " 

The  farmer  scratched  his  head  in  perplexity. 
"  Hang  me  if  I  jess  know,  Dick,"  he  said  slowly. 


28  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  If  we  try  to  pull  him  straight  to  shore  the  cur- 
rent will  carry  him  over  the  rocks  in  spite  of  the 
line." 

"  How  long  do  you  suppose  the  line  is?  " 

"  It  is  fifty  yards,  and  all  good  and  strong,  for 
I  bought  it  of  Woddie  only  last  week." 

"  Fifty  yards — that  is  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 
Do  you  see  that  spur  of  rock  just  above 
here?  " 

"  I  do." 

"  Is  it  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from 
that  rock  to  the  tree?  " 

"  Hardly;  but  it's  close  figuring." 

"  Let  us  try  the  line  and  see." 

Both  walked  up  to  the  spur  of  rock  they  had 
in  view.  It  jutted  out  into  the  river  for  several 
yards,  and  was  rather  wet  and  slippery. 

"  Take  care,  or  you'll  go  in  too,"  cautioned 
Joel  Barrel.  "  Shall  I  throw  the  rope  out?  " 

"  You  might  try  it,"  answered  Dick.  "  I'll 
hold  fast  to  your  leg,"  and  he  squatted  down  for 
that  purpose. 

The  line  was  uncoiled  and  thrown  three  times, 
but  each  time  it  fell  short  and  drifted  inshore 
again. 

"  Hurry  up!  "  suddenly  yelled  Sam.  "  The 
tree  is  beginning  to  turn,  and  it  will  break  loose 
before  long." 

"  Let  me  try  a  throw,"  said  Dick,  and  took 


SAM'S  ADVENTURE.  29 

the  washline.  As  he  made  the  cast,  Tom  came 
up  on  a  walk,  his  head  tied  up  in  a  handker- 
chief. 

"Where  is  Sam?" 

"  Out  there,"  said  Joel  Barrel,  and  watched 
the  casting  of  the  line  with  interest.  Again  it 
fell  short,  but  Dick's  second  throw  was  a  com- 
plete success,  and  soon  Sam  held  the  outer  end 
of  the  line  fast. 

"  It  reaches,  and  we  have  about  fifteen  feet  to 
spare,"  said  Dick  joyfully.  "  Sam,  tie  it  around 
you  under  the  arms,"  he  called  out. 

"  I  will,"  and  Sam  set  to  work  instantly. 

"  All  ready?  " 

"  Yes." 

Scarcely  had  the  word  left  the  younger 
brother's  lips  than  the  tree  upon  which  he  rested 
wobbled  and  went  over,  and  he  found  himself 
thrown  into  the  foaming  water. 

"  Pull  away,  all  hands! "  cried  Dick,  and 
hauled  in  desperately,  while  Joel  Darrel  did  the 
same.  Tom  was  not  equal  to  the  task,  but  con- 
tented himself  with  holding  fast  to  Dick's  coat, 
that  his  elder  brother  might  not  slip  from  the| 
rock. 

It  was  no  light  work  to  get  Sam  up  the  first 
rise  of  the  rapids,  but  once  this  rise  was  passed 
the  rest  was  easy  by  comparison.  They  pulled 
in  steadily,  and  presently  the  boy  reached  the 


30  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

rock  and  came  up,  looking  very  much  like  a 
dripping  seal  as  he  clambered  to  safety. 

"Thank  fortune,  you  are  safe!"  cried  Dick, 
when  it  was  all  over;  and  Tom  said  "  Amen  " 
under  his  breath.  Joel  Barrel  looked  well  satis- 
fied as  he  coiled  up  the  washline. 

"  It  was  a  narrow  escape,"  he  remarked  pres- 
ently. "  You  want  to  be  careful  how  you  try 
to  cross  the  river  at  this  p'int.  What  were  you 
doing  on  the  tree?  " 

"  I  was  after  a  thief,"  answered  Sam,  and  then 
he  looked  at  Dick  and  Tom.  "  Where  is 
he?" 

"  Gone,"  returned  Dick. 

"  A  thief!  "  ejaculated  Joel  Darrel.  "  Whom 
did  he  rob?" 

"  He  robbed  me." 

"Do  tell,  Dick!     When?" 

"  About  half  an  hour  ago.  I  was  coming 
from  the  Corners  with  the  mail,  when  he 
pounced  on  me  near  our  berry  patch  and 
knocked  me  down.  He  took  my  pocketbook 
and  my  watch,  but  Sam  and  Tom  came  up,  and 
we  chased  the  fellow  and  got  the  pocketbook 
back." 

"But  he  kept  the  watch?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Was  it  a  good  one?  " 

"  It  was  a  gold  watch  that  my  father  paid 


SAM'S  ADVENTURE.  3! 

sixty-five  dollars  for — and  the  chain  was  worth 
ten;  and,  what  is  more,  the  watch  was  one  my 
father  used  to  wear;  and  as  he  is  gone  now,  I 
thought  a  good  deal  of  it  on  that  account." 

"  That's  natural,  my  boy.  But  where  did  thfj, 
thief  go?" 

"  Came  across  the  river  about  quarter  of  a 
mile  above  here." 

"Then  he  had  a  boat?" 

"  Yes — a  craft  painted  brown,  with  a  white 
stripe  around  her." 

"  That's  Jerry  Rodman's  boat.  He  must 
have  stolen  her  in  the  first  place  to  cross  to  your 
side." 

"  More  than  likely." 

"  But  where  did  he  go  after  he  crossed  the 
river?  " 

"  Into  the  bushes,  I  guess.  You  see,  Tom 
went  overboard  from  the  tree  and  got  struck, 
and  I  went  to  his  assistance,  so  I  didn't  notice 
exactly.  I  want  to  get  back  now  and  follow  the 
rascal." 

"  I'll  go  along." 

"  I  wish  you  would." 

"  In  that  case  I  won't  try  to  keep  up  with 
you,"  put  in  Tom.  "  My  head  is  aching  fit  to 
split." 

"  Yes,  you  may  as  well  take  it  easy,"  answered 
Dick.  "  But,  say,  why  not  walk  up  to  the  river 


32  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

road  and  see  if  the  rascal  heads  in  this  direc- 
tion? " 

"  So  I  will,  Dick.     Will  you  go  too,  Sam?  " 

It  was  arranged  that  Sam  should  accompany 
Tom,  and  they  set  off  immediately,  while  Dick 
and  Joel  Darrel  ran  along  the  river  bank  to 
where  the  rowboat  had  been  abandoned. 

Down  where  it  was  muddy  it  was  easy  to  trace 
the  tramp's  footprints,  and  they  led  through  a 
meadow  and  across  a  cornfield,  coming  out  at  a 
side  road  leading  to  the  town  of  Oak  Run. 

"Well,  where  to  next?"  questioned  the 
farmer,  as  he  and  Dick  came  to  a  halt. 

The  youth  shook  his  head.  "  It's  so  dry  here 
the  footprints  are  lost,"  he  returned  slowly. 

"  That's  true,  Dick.  But  I  reckon  he  went  to 
Oak  Run." 

"  Why?  " 

"  Because  he  could  catch  a  train  from  there 
which  would  take  him  miles  away — and  I  guess 
that  is  what  he  wants  to  do  just  about  now." 

"  There  is  something  in  that." 

"  Besides,  you  know,  the  other  end  of  the 
road  ends  up  in  the  woods.  He  wouldn't  go 
there." 

"  I  had  best  start  for  Oak  Run,  then." 

"  I'll  go  along." 

The  distance  was  a  mile  and  a  half,  and  they 
thought  they  would  have  to  walk  it,  but  hardly 


SAM'S  ADVENTURE.  33 

had  a  dozen  rods  been  covered  than  they  heard 
the  sound  of  wagon  wheels,  and  a  grocery  turn- 
out came  into  sight  driven  by  a  boy  Joel  Barrel 
knew  well. 

"  This  comes  in  just  right,"  observed  Barrel 
to  Bick.  "  Hi  there,  Harry  Onwald,  give  us  a 
lift  to  Oak  Run,  will  you?  " 

"  Certainly,  Mr.  Barrel,"  answered  the  gro- 
cery boy,  and  brought  his  store  wagon  to  a  stop. 
The  farmer  leaped  to  the  seat,  and  Bick  fol- 
lowed. 

On  the  way  Harry  Onwald  was  made  ac- 
quainted with  the  situation,  and  he  drove  along 
with  all  possible  speed.  They  were  just  enter- 
ing the  outskirts  of  Oak  Run  when  the  whistle 
of  a  locomotive  was  heard. 

"  That's  the  down  train  for  Middletown! " 
cried  Joel  Barrel.  "  Hurry  up!  " 

The  horse  was  whipped  up,  and  they  swept 
along  to  the  depot  at  a  speed  which  made  the 
constable  of  the  town  shake  his  fist  at  Harry  and 
threaten  to  arrest  him  for  fast  driving. 

"Too  late!" 

The  words  came  from  Bick,  and  he  was  right. 
Before  the  depot  was  reached  the  long  train  had 
pulled  out.  Soon  it  was  lost  to  sight  in  the  dis- 
tance. 

The  thief  was  on  it;  and  his  escape,  for  the 
time  being,  was  now  assured. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  LAST  DAY  AT  THE  FARM. 

*'  What  does  this  mean?  " 

It  was  Gilbert  Ponsberry,  the  chief  constable 
of  Oak  Run,  who  spoke,  as  he  strode  up  to  the 
grocery  wagon,  all  out  of  breath. 

"  Hullo,  Ponsberry,  you  are  just  the  man  we 
want  to  see!  "  cried  Joel  Barrel.  "  Did  you  no- 
tice who  boarded  that  train?  " 

"  No;  I  wasn't  at  the  depot.  Anything 
wrong?  " 

"  I  have  been  robbed  of  a  gold  watch  and 
chain,"  answered  Dick,  and  related  the  par- 
ticulars. 

"  Gee  shoo!  No  wonder  you  drove  fast," 
ejaculated  the  constable.  "  I  would  have  done 
so  myself.  How  did  that  fellow  look?  " 

As  well  as  he  was  able,  Dick  gave  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  thief. 

"  I  saw  that  tramp  yesterday,"  said  the  con- 
stable, when  he  had  finished.  "  He  was  in  the 
depot,  talking  to  a  tall,  thin  man.  I  remember 
him  well,  for  he  and  the  other  fellow  were  quar- 


THE  LAST  DAY  AT    THE  FARM.  35 

reling,  and  I  hung  around  rather  expecting  a 
fight.  But  it  didn't  come." 

"  You  haven't  seen  the  thief  since  yester- 
day?" 

"  No." 

"  Would  you  remember  the  tall,  thin  man  he 
was  with?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  for  he  had  a  scar  on  his  chin 
that  looked  like  a  knife  cut." 

"  Is  he  anywhere  around?  " 

"  I  haven't  seen  him  since.  Let  us  take  a 
walk  around — and  we  can  ask  Ricks  the  station 
master  about  this." 

"We  had  better  ask  Mr.  Ricks  first,"  said 
Dick. 

All  hands,  even  to  the  grocery  boy,  hunted  up 
the  station  master,  an  elderly  fellow  who  was 
well  known  for  his  unsociable  disposition. 

"  Don't  know  anything  about  any  thief,"  he 
snapped,  after  hearing  the  story.  "  I  mind  my 
own  business." 

"  But  he  may  have  taken  the  train,"  pleaded 
Dick.  It  made  his  heart  sink  to  think  that  the 
watch,  that  precious  memento  from  his  father, 
might  be  gone  forever. 

"  Well,  if  he  did,  you  had  better  go  after  him 
— or  telegraph  to  Middletown,"  was  the  short 
answer,  and  then  the  station  master  turned 
away. 


3<5  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  You  telegraph  for  me,"  said  Dick  to  the 
constable.  "  I  will  pay  the  costs." 

"  All  right,  Dick.  My,  but  old  Ricks  is  get- 
ting more  grumpy  every  day!  If  the  railroad 
knows  its  business  it  will  soon  get  another  man- 
ager here,"  was  Gilbert  Ponsberry's  comment, 
as  he  led  the  wray  to  the  telegraph  office. 

Here  a  telegram  was  prepared,  addressed  to 
the  police  officer  on  duty  at  the  Middletown 
station,  and  giving  a  fair  description  of  the 
thief. 

The  train  would  reach  the  city  in  exactly 
forty-five  minutes;  and  as  soon  as  the  message 
had  been  sent,  Dick,  Darrel,  and  the  constable 
went  off  on  a  tour  of  Oak  Run  and  the  vicinity. 

Of  course  nothing  was  seen  of  the  thief,  and 
in  an  hour  word  came  back  from  Middletown 
that  he  was  not  on  the  cars. 

This  was  true,  for  the  train  had  stopped  at  a 
way  station,  having  broken  something  on  the 
engine,  and  the  thief  had  left,  to  walk  the  re- 
mainder of  the  distance  to  Middletown  on  foot. 

It  was  not  until  nightfall  that  Dick  returned 
to  his  uncle's  farmhouse. 

Here  he  found  that  Sam  and  Tom  had  already 
arrived.  Tom  was  lying  on  the  sofa  in  the  sit- 
ting room,  being  cared  for  by  his  Aunt  Martha, 
who  was  the  best  of  nurses  whenever  occasion 
required. 


THE  LAST  DAY  AT   THE  FARM.  37 

"  Didn't  find  any  trace  of  the  villain?  "  queried 
Randolph  Rover,  with  a  sad  shake  of  his  head. 
"  Too  bad !  Too  bad !  And  it  was  your  father's 
watch,  too!  " 

"  I  never  wanted  to  see  Dick  wear  it,"  put  in 
Mrs.  Rover.  "  It  was  too  fine  for  a  boy." 

"  Father  told  me  to  wear  it,  aunty.  He  said 
it  would  remind  me  of  him,"  answered  Dick,  and 
he  turned  away,  for  something  like  a  tear  had 
welled  up  in  his  eye. 

"  There,  there,  Dick,  I  didn't  mean  to  hurt 
your  feelings,"  cried  his  aunt  hastily.  "  I  would 
give  a  good  deal  if  you  had  your  watch  back." 

Supper  was  waiting,  but  Dick  had  no  appetite, 
and  ate  but  little.  Tom  braced  up  sufficiently 
to  take  some  toast  and  tea,  and  declared  that  he 
would  be  all  right  by  morning;  and  so  he  was. 

"  Here  is  a  letter  for  Tom  from  Larry  Colby," 
cried  Dick  during  the  course  of  the  evening. 
"  I  declare,  I  forgot  all  about  it,  Tom,  until  this 
minute." 

"  I  don't  blame  you,  Dick,"  was  the  reply, 
with  a  sickly  smile.  "  You  read  it  for  me.  The 
light  hurts  my  head,"  and  Tom  closed  his  eyes 
to  listen. 

Larry  Colby  was  a  New  York  lad  who  in  years 
gone  by  had  been  one  of  Tom's  chums.  The 
letter  was  just  such  a  one  as  any  boy  might  write 
to  another,  and  need  have  n<?  place  here.  Yet 


j8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

one  paragraph  interested  everybody  in  the  sit- 
ting room: 

"  Next  week  I  am  to  pack  my  trunk  and  go 
to  Putnam  Hall  Military  Academy  [wrote  Larry 
Colby].  Father  says  it  is  a  very  fine  military 
school,  and  he  has  recommended  it  to  your 
uncle." 

"Putnam  Hall  Military  Academy!"  mused 
Tom.  "  I  wonder  where  it  is?  " 

"  It  is  over  in  Seneca  County,  on  Cayuga 
Lake,"  replied  Randolph  Rover,  and  something 
like  a  smile  appeared  on  his  face. 

"  On  Cayuga  Lake,  uncle ! "  cried  Sam, 
"Why,  that's  a  splendid  location,  isn't  it?" 

"  Very  fine." 

"  And  is  that  where  we  are  to  go?  "  put  in 
Tom  eagerly. 

"  Yes,  Thomas;  I  might  as  well  tell  you, 
although  I  wanted  to  surprise  you.  You  are  to 
go  to  Putnam  Hall,  and  there  you  will  have  with 
you  Lawrence  Colby,  Frank  Harrington,  and 
several  other  lads  with  whom  you  are  all  ac- 
quainted." 

"Hurrah,  Uncle  Randolph!"  came  from 
Sam,  and  rushing  up,  he  caught  his  relative 
around  the  shoulder.  "  You're  the  best  kind  of 
an  uncle,  after  all." 

"  Putnam  Hall  is  an  institution  of  learning 


THE  LAST  DAY  AT   THE  FARM.  39 

that  has  been  established  for  some  twenty 
years,"  went  on  Mr.  Rover,  pushing  back  his 
spectacles  and  laying  down  the  agricultural 
work  he  had  been  perusing.  "  It  is  presided 
over  by  Captain  Victor  Putnam,  an  old  army 
officer,  who  in  his  younger  days  used  to  be  a 
schoolmaster.  He  is  a  strict  disciplinarian,  and 
will  make  you  toe  the  mark;  but  let  me  say  right 
here,  I  have  it  from  Mr.  Colby  that  there  is  no 
schoolmaster  who  is  kinder  or  more  considerate 
of  his  pupils." 

"  Is  it  a  regular  military  institution  like  West 
Point?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  Hardly,  Thomas,  although  the  students,  so 
I  am  informed,  dress  like  cadets  and  spend  an 
hour  or  so  each  day  in  drilling,  and  in  the  sum- 
mer all  the  school  march  up  the  lake  and  go  into 
an  encampment." 

"That  just  suits  me!"  broke  in  Sam  enthu- 
siastically. "  Hurrah  for  Putnam  Hall!  " 

"Hurrah!"  echoed  Tom  faintly,  and  Dick 
nodded  to  show  he  felt  as  they  did.  At  the 
cheer,  Sarah  the  cook  stuck  her  head  into  the 
door. 

"  Sure  an'  I  thought  Tom  was  out  of  his  head, 
bedad,"  she  observed. 

"  Sarah,  I'm  going  away  soon — to  a  military 
academy.  I  won't  bother  you  any  more,"  said 
Tom. 


4°  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"Won't  yez  now?  That  will  be  foine." 
Then  the  cook  stopped  short,  thinking  she  had 
hurt  the  boy's  feelings.  "  Oh,  Master  Tom, 
don't  moind  me.  You're  not  such  an — an 
awful  bother  as  we  think,"  and  then  at  a  wave  of 
Mrs.  Rover's  hand  she  disappeared. 

After  this  the  evening  passed  quickly  enough, 
for  the  boys  wanted  to  know  all  there  was  to  be 
learned  about  their  future  boarding  school. 
Mr.  Rover  had  a  circular  of  the  institution,  and 
they  pored  over  this. 

"  Captain  Victor  Putnam  is  the  head  master," 
said  Dick,  as  he  read.  "  He  has  two  assistants, 
Josiah  Crabtree  and  George  Strong,  besides  two 
teachers  who  come  in  to  give  instructions  in 
French  and  German  if  desired,  also  in  music. 
Uncle  Randolph,  are  we  to  take  up  these 
branches?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  leave  you  to  select  your  own 
studies  outside  of  the  regular  course,  Richard. 
What  would  be  the  use  of  taking  up  music, 
for  instance,  if  you  were  not  musically  in- 
clined." 

"  I'd  like  to  play  a  banjo,"  said  Tom,  and 
grinned  as  well  as  the  bandage  on  his  head 
would  permit. 

"  I  doubt  if  the  professor  of  music  teaches 
that  plantation  instrument,"  smiled  Mrs.  Rover. 
Then  she  patted  Tom's  shoulder  affectionately. 


THE  LAST  DAY  AT   THE  FARM.  4* 

Now  the  boys  were  really  to  leave  her,  she  was 
sorry  to  think  of  their  going. 

"  They  will  not  take  more  than  a  hundred 
pupils,"  said  Dick,  referring  to  the  circular 
again.  "  I  should  say  that  was  enough.  The 
pupils  are  divided  into  two  companies,  A  and  B, 
of  about  fifty  soldiers  each;  and  the  soldiers  elect 
their  own  officers,  to  serve  during  the  school 
term.  Tom,  perhaps  you  may  turn  out  captain 
of  Company  B." 

"  And  you  may  be  Major  Dick  Rover  of  the 
first  battalion,"  returned  Tom.  "  Say,  but  this 
suits  me  to  death,  Uncle  Randolph." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  Thomas.  But  I  want 
you  to  promise  me  to  attend  to  your  studies. 
Military  matters  are  all  well  enough  in  their  way, 
but  I  want  you  to  have  the  benefits  of  a  good 
education." 

"  Oh,  I  fancy  Captain  Victor  Putnam  will  at- 
tend to  that,"  put  in  Sam. 

The  circular  was  read  from  end  to  end,  and  it 
was  after  ten  o'clock  before  the  boys  got  done 
talking  about  it  and  went  to  bed.  Certainly  the 
prospect  was  a  bright  one,  and  if  poor  Dick  had 
only  had  his  watch  the  three  would  have  been  in 
high  feather.  Little  did  they  dream  of  all  the 
startling  adventures  in  store  for  them  during 
their  term  at  Putnam  Hall. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  Mr.  Randolph 


42  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

Rover  intended  to  allow  the  theft  of  Dick's 
watch  to  pass  without  a  strong  effort  being 
made  to  recover  the  article.  Early  in  the  morn- 
ing he  drove  to  the  Corners,  and  to  Oak  Run 
and  another  village  called  Bender's,  and  at  each 
place  had  a  notice  posted,  mentioning  the  loss 
and  offering  a  reward  of  fifty  dollars  for  the  re- 
covery of  the  property  and  of  one  hundred  dol- 
lars if  the  thief  was  captured  in  addition.  This 
offer,,  however,  proved  of  no  avail,  and  Dick  had 
to  leave  for  Putnam  Hall  wearing  his  old  silver 
watch,  which  he  had  put  aside  upon  the  receipt 
of  the  gold  timepiece. 

It  was  a  clear,  sunshiny  morning  when  the 
boys  started  off.  They  had  paid  a  last  visit  to 
the  various  points  of  interest  about  the  place  and 
bid  good-by  to  Sarah,  who  shook  hands  warmly, 
and  said  farewell  to  the  hired  men,  both  of  whom 
hated  them  to  leave,  for  they  had  made  matters 
pleasant  as  well  as  lively.  Their  three  trunks 
were  loaded  in  a  farm  wagon,  and  now  Jack,  one 
of  the  men-of-all-work,  drove  up  with  the  two- 
seated  carriage  to  drive  them  over  to  Oak  Run 
by  way  of  the  river  bridge,  half  a  mile  up  the 
stream. 

"  Good-by,  Uncle  Randolph!  "  cried  one  after 
another,  as  they  shook  hands.  "  Good-by,  Aunt 
Martha!  "  and  each  gave  Mrs.  Rover  a  hug  and 


THE  LAST  DAY  AT  THE  FARM.  43 

a  kiss,  something  which  brought  the  tears  to  the 
lady's  eyes. 

"  Good-by,  boys,  and  take  good  care  of  your- 
selves," said  Randolph  Rover. 

"  And  if  you  can't  stand  it  at  boarding  school, 
write,  and  we  will  send  for  you  to  come  back 
here,"  added  his  wife;  and  then,  with  a  crack  of 
the  whip,  the  carriage  rolled  off,  and  the  farm 
was  left  behind.  It  was  to  be  many  a  day  ere 
the  boys  would  see  the  place  again. 


CHAPTER  V. 

ON    THE    WAY    TO    PUTNAM    HALL. 

"  I  don't  think  we'll  want  to  send  word  to 
Aunt  Martha  to  be  taken  back,"  observed  Sam, 
who  sat  on  the  driver's  seat  with  the  hired  man. 

"Neither  do  I,"  returned  Tom.  "To  be 
sure,  we  have  a  nice  enough  home  here,  but  it's 
dreadfully  slow." 

"  There  is  no  telling  what  may  be  in  store  for 
us,"  joined  in  Dick.  "  Don't  you  remember 
how  Fred  Garrison  fared  at  Holly  School? 
That  institution  sent  out  a  splendid  circular,  and 
when  Fred  got  there  they  almost  starved  him  to 
death." 

"  That  is  true.     Where  is  Fred  now?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  Mr.  Colby  wouldn't  recommend  Putnam 
Hall  if  it  wasn't  all  right,"  remarked  Tom. 
"  Jack,  whip  up  the  team,  or  we'll  miss  that 
train." 

"  They  are  going  putty  well  now,  Master 
Tom,"  replied  the  driver. 

The  trunks  had  gone  on  ahead,  and  when  they 
reached  the  depot  at  Oak  Run  they  found  old 

44 


ON   THE    IV A  Y   TO  PUTNAM  HALL.  45 

Ricks  grumbling  because  no  one  was  there  to 
check  them. 

"  Do  you  reckon  I'm  going  to  be  responsible 
for  everybody's  baggage?"  he  snarled  as  Dick 
approached  him. 

"  I'll  check  them  as  soon  as  I  can  get  tickets," 
answered  Dick  curtly.  "  What  an  old  bear  he 
is!  "  he  whispered  to  Tom.  "  He  didn't  treat 
me  half  decently  when  I  was  over  here  about  the 
watch." 

"  If  only  we  had  a  little  time  I  would  fix  him," 
whispered  Tom  in  return.  He  had  sobered 
down  for  several  days  now  and  was  dying  to  play 
a  trick  on  somebody. 

They  went  into  the  station  and  procured 
tickets,  and  then  found  the  time  for  the  train 
had  been  changed,  and  it  would  not  be  along  for 
nearly  half  an  hour. 

"  Good!  just  wait  till  I  get  back,"  said 
Tom. 

He  had  noticed  Ricks  gathering  up  some 
waste  paper  around  the  depot,  and  felt  tolerably 
certain  the  old  fellow  was  about  to  build  a  bon- 
fire of  it.  Walking  over  to  one  of  the  stores, 
he  entered,  and  asked  the  proprietor  if  he  had 
any  large  firecrackers  on  hand. 

"  Just  two,  sir,"  said  the  storekeeper,  and 
brought  them  forth.  Each  was  six  inches  long 
and  thick  in  proportion. 


46  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  How  much?  "  asked  the  boy. 

"  Seeing  as  they  are  the  last  I  have,  I'll  let  you 
have  them  for  fifteen  cents  each." 

"  I'll  give  you  a  quarter  for  the  two." 

"Very  well;  here  you  are,"  and  the  transfer 
was  made  on  the  spot.  Slipping  the  fire- 
crackers into  his  coat  pocket,  Tom  sauntered  up 
to  old  Ricks,  while  Sam  and  Dick  looked  on, 
sure  that  something  was  in  the  wind. 

"  Ricks,  that  is  pretty  bad  news  from  Middle- 
town,  isn't  it?  "  he  observed. 

"  Bad  news?  What  do  you  mean? "  de- 
manded the  station  master,  as  he  threw  some 
more  waste  paper  on  the  fire,  which  he  had  just 
lit. 

"  About  that  dynamite  being  stolen  by  train 
wreckers.  They  think  some  of  the  explosive 
was  brought  up  here." 

"  Didn't  hear  of  it." 

"  Dynamite  is  pretty  bad  stuff  to  have  around, 
so  I've  heard." 

"Awful!  awful!  I  never  want  to  see  any  of 
it,"  answered  Ricks,  with  a  decided  shake  of  his 
head. 

"  If  it  goes  off  it's  apt  to  blow  everything  to 
flinders,"  went  on  Dick. 

"  That's  so — I  don't  want  any  of  it,"  and  the 
old  man  began  to  gather  up  more  waste  paper 
for  his  fire.  Watching  his  chance,  Tom  threw 


ON   THE    IV A  Y   TO  PUTNAM  HALL.  47 

one  of  the  firecrackers  into  the  blaze  and  then 
rejoined  his  brothers. 

With  a  handful  of  paper  Ricks  again  ap- 
proached the  blaze.  He  was  standing  almost 
over  it  when  the  firecracker  went  off,  making  a 
tremendous  report  and  scattering  the  light  blaz- 
ing paper  in  all  directions. 

"Help!  I'm  killed!"  yelled  old  Ricks,  as  he 
fell  upon  his  back.  "  Get  me  away  from  here! 
There's  dynamite  in  this  fire!"  And  he  rolled 
over,  leaped  to  his  feet,  and  ran  off  like  a  mad- 
man. 

"  Don't  be  alarmed — it  was  only  a  fire- 
cracker," called  out  Tom,  loud  enough  for  all 
standing  around  to  hear,  and  then  he  ran  for  the 
train,  v\  hich  had  just  come  in.  Soon  he  and  his 
brothers  were  on  board  and  off,  leaving  poor 
Ricks  to  be  heartily  laughed  at  by  those  who 
had  observed  his  sudden  terror.  It  was  many  a 
day  before  the  cranky  station  master  heard  the 
last  of  his  dynamite. 

The  boys  were  to  ride  from  Oak  Run  to 
Ithaca,  and  there  take  a  small  steamer  which  ran 
from  that  city  to  the  head  of  the  lake,  stopping 
at  Cedarville,  the  nearest  village  to  Putnam 
Hall.  At  Cedarville  one  of  the  Hall  convey- 
ances was  to  meet  them,  to  transfer  both  them 
and  their  baggage  to  the  institution. 

The   run   to    Ithaca   proved   uneventful,    al- 


48  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

though  the  boys  did  not  tire  of  looking  out  of 
the  window  at  the  beautiful  panorama  rushing 
past  them.  At  noon  they  had  lunch  in  the  din- 
ing car,  a  spread  that  Sam  declared  was  about  as 
good  as  a  regular  dinner.  Three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  found  them  at  the  steamboat  landing, 
waiting  for  the  Golden  Star  to  take  them  up  to 
Cedarville. 

"  Fred  Garrison,  by  all  that's  lucky!  "  burst 
out  Tom  suddenly,  as  he  rushed  up  to  a  youth  of 
about  his  own  age  who  sat  on  a  trunk  eating  an 
apple. 

"  Tom  Rover!     Where  are  you  bound?  " 
"  To  a  boarding  school  called  Putnam  Hall." 
"  You  don't  say!     Why,  I  am  going  there 
myself,"  and  now  Fred  Garrison  nearly  wrung 
off  Tom's  hand. 

"If  this  isn't  the  most  glorious  news  yet!" 
burst  in  Dick.  "  Why,  Larry  Colby  is  going 
too!" 

"  I  know  it.  But  he  won't  come  until  to- 
morrow." 

"  And  Frank  Harrington  is  going  too! " 
"  He  is  there  already — he  wrote  about  it  day 
before  yesterday.     That  makes  six  of  us  New 
York  boys." 

"  The  metropolitan  sextet,"  chirped  in  Sam. 
"  Boys,  we  ought  to  form  a  league  to  stand  by 
each  other  through  thick  or  thin." 


ON   THE    WA  Y   TO  PUTNAM  HALL.  49 

"  I'm  with  you  on  that,"  answered  Fred  Gar- 
rison. "  As  we  are  all  newcomers,  it's  likely  the 
old  scholars  will  want  to  haze  us,  or  something- 
like  that." 

"  Just  let  them  try  it  on!  "  cried  Tom.  "  Yes, 
we  must  stick  together  by  all  means."  And  the 
compact,  so  far  as  it  concerned  the  Rover  boys 
and  Fred  Garrison,  was  made  on  the  spot. 
Later  on  Larry  Colby  and  Frank  Harrington 
joined  them  gladly. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  Golden  Star,  a 
stanch  little  side-wheeler,  steamed  up  to  the 
dock,  and  the  waiting  crowd  rushed  on  board 
and  secured  favorable  places  on  deck.  The  bag- 
gage followed,  and  soon  they  were  off,  with  a 
whistle  which  awoke  the  echoes  of  Cayuga  Lake 
for  miles  around. 

While  waiting  on  the  dock  Dick  had  noticed 
three  girls  standing  near  them.  They  were 
evidently  from  the  rural  district,  but  pretty  and 
well  dressed.  The  boys  took  seats  near  the 
bow  of  the  boat,  on  the  upper  deck,  and  pres- 
ently the  girls  sat  down  not  far  away. 

"  He  was  awfully  bold,  Clara;  I  want  nothing 
to  do  with  him,"  Dick  heard  the  prettiest  of  the 
girls  say.  "  He  had  no  right  to  speak  to  us." 

"  He  had  dropped  his  handkerchief,  and  he 
pretended  I  was  stepping  on  it,"  said  another  of 
the  three.  "  Oh,  here  he  comes  now! "  she 


50  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

went  on,  as  a  youth  of  seventeen  came  into  view. 
He  was  large  and  bold-looking,  and  it  was  easy 
to  see  that  there  was  a  good  deal  of  the  bully 
about  him.  He  was  smoking  a  cigarette,  but 
on  seeing  the  girls  he  threw  the  paper  roll  away. 

"  How  do  you  do  again?  "  he  said,  as  he  came 
up  and  tipped  his  hat. 

At  this  all  of  the  girls  looked  angry,  and  not 
one  returned  his  salutation.  But,  undaunted 
by  this,  the  newcomer  caught  up  a  camp  stool 
and  planked  himself  down  almost  directly  be- 
tween the  prettiest  of  the  three  and  her  com- 
panions. 

"  Splendid  day  for  the  trip,"  he  went  on. 
"  Won't  you  have  some  confectionery?  "  and  he 
hauled  from  his  pocket  a  box  of  cream  choco- 
lates and  held  them  out. 

"  Thank  you,  we  don't  wish  any,"  said  the 
youngest  of  the  girls. 

"  Won't  you  have  some? "  asked  the  un- 
known of  the  eldest  girl. 

"  I  don't  want  any,  and  I  told  you  before  not 
to  speak  to  me !  "  she  said  in  a  low  voice,  and  the 
tears  almost  came  into  her  eyes. 

"  I  aint  going  to  hurt  you,"  grumbled  the 
young  fellow.  "  Can't  a  fellow  be  pleasant 
fike?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  you,  sir." 

that's  all  right.     My  name  is  Daniel 


'AN   UNPLEASANT  MEETING  ON  THE  LAKE.' 


ON   THE    WA  Y    TO  PUTNAM  PI  ALL.  ST 

Baxter.  Sorry  I  haven't  a  card,  or  I  would  give 
you  one,"  was  the  smooth  rejoinder. 

"  I  do  not  wish  your  card,"  was  the  answer, 
delivered  in  the  most  positive  of  tones. 

"Oh,  all  right.  Yes,  it's  a  splendid  trip," 
said  the  fellow,  and  drew  his  camp  chair  even 
closer.  The  girls  wished  to  edge  away,  but 
there  was  no  room  in  the  narrow  bow.  The 
eldest  girl  looked  around  as  if  for  help.  Her 
eyes  met  those  of  Dick,  and  she  blushed. 

"  Say,  that  fellow  is  a  regular  pill,"  whispered 
Tom  to  his  elder  brother.  "  Somebody  ought 
to  take  him  by  the  collar  and  pitch  him  over- 
board." 

"  You  are  right,  Tom,"  answered  Dick,  and 
then  as  the  bully  attempted  to  crowd  still  closer 
to  the  girls  he  suddenly  arose,  took  a  few 
steps  forward,  and  caught  Dan  Baxter  by  the 
arm. 

"  You  get  out  of  here — and  be  quick  about 
it,"  he  said  in  low  but  firm  tones. 

The  fellow  started,  and  for  the  instant  his  face 
changed  color.  But  then  he  saw  that  Dick  was 
but  a  boy,  younger  and  smaller  than  himself,  and 
his  bullying  manner  returned. 

"  Who  are  you  talking  to?  "  he  demanded. 

"  I  am  talking  to  you.  I  told  you  to  get  out 
—and  be  quick  about  it." 

"  Oh!  "  cried  the  eldest  girl,  but  her  face  took 


52  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

on  a  look  of  relief,  for  she  saw  that  Dick  was  a 
thoroughly  gentlemanly  youth. 

"  Who  are  you  anyway?  "  blustered  Dan  Bax- 
ter. 

"  My  name  is  Dick  Rover,  if  you  want  to 
know."  Dick  turned  to  the  girls.  "  He  was 
annoying  you,  wasn't  he?  " 

"  Very  much,"  answered  the  three  promptly. 

"  Then  you'll  get  out,  Daniel  Baxter." 

"  Supposing  I  refuse?  " 

"  If  you  refuse,  I'll  pitch  you  out,  and  make  a 
complaint  to  the  police  at  our  first  stopping 
place." 

"  You  talk  big! "  sneered  the  bully,  but  he 
was  much  disconcerted. 

"  Don't  you  talk  back  to  my  brother,"  put  in 
Tom,  who  had  come  up.  "  You  think  you're  a 
regular  masher,  as  they  call  such  silly  fellows, 
but  I  don't  think  your  game  is  going  to  work 
here." 

"  That's  it,"  chimed  in  Sam. 

"Humph!  three  of  you,  eh?"  muttered  the 
bully.  "  We'll  see  about  this  some  other  time," 
and  leaving  his  camp  chair  he  made  for  the 
cabin  and  disappeared  from  view. 

"  He's  a  bad  egg,"  was  Tom's  comment,  but 
how  thoroughly  bad  the  Rover  boys  were  still 
to  learn. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FRIKNDS    AND     ENEMIES. 

"  I  must  thank  you  for  ridding  us  of  that  fel- 
low," said  one  of  the  girls.  "  He  has  annoyed 
us  several  times." 

"  It  was  a  pleasure  to  assist  you,"  answered 
Dick,  with  the  politeness  of  a  dancing  master, 
and  tipped  his  hat;  and  his  brothers  and  Fred 
Garrison  did  the  same. 

After  this  there  seemed  nothing  to  do  but  to 
be  introduced,  and  Dick  did  this  for  the  boys, 
while  the  eldest  girl  acted  for  herself  and  her 
companions. 

"  My  name  is  Dora  Stanhope,"  she  said. 
"  These  are  my  cousins  Nellie  and  Grace  Lan- 
ing.  We  live  at  Cedarville." 

"  Just  the  place  we  are  going  to!  "  cried  Tom. 
"  We  are  bound  for  Putnam  Hall.  I  suppose 
you  know  the  place?  " 

"  We  do — very  well,"  answered  Dora  Stan- 
hope. "  It  is  less  than  quarter  of  a  mile  away 
from  our  farm." 

"  And  it  is  quite  near  to  our  place  too,"  added 
Nellie  Laning. 

S3 


54  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Then  perhaps  we'll  see  more  of  each  other,** 
remarked  Fred  Garrison. 

"  Perhaps;  but  isn't  Captain  Putnam  rather 
strict  about  letting  you  boys  out?  "  questioned 
Dora. 

"  We  don't  know  yet — we  are  newcomers." 

"  Newcomers !  "  cried  Nellie.  "  Then  you 
don't  know  that  fellow  who  was  just  here?  " 

"  No.     Does  he  belong  at  Putnam  Hall?  " 

"  Yes.  I  know  nothing  of  him,  however, 
further  than  that  I  have  seen  him  several  times 
on  the  Hall  road." 

Dick  gave  a  low  whistle. 

"  Perhaps  we've  put  our  foot  in  it,"  remarked 
Sam  in  a  low  tone  to  him. 

"  Never  mind;  we  did  what  was  right,"  an- 
swered Dick.  "  No  fellow  is  justified  in  acting 
as  Dan  Baxter  did." 

"  That's  right." 

"  Tell  us  something  about  Putnam  Hall, 
won't  you?  "  said  Fred  Garrison,  after  a  pause. 

At  this  the  three  girls  laughed. 

"  What  should  we  know  about  that  place?  " 
asked  Dora.  "  We  have  never  been  inside,  ex- 
cepting at  one  Christmas  entertainment." 

"  But  you  must  see  some  of  the  fellows  occa- 
sionally." 

"  Not  often,"  said  Grace  Laning.  "  Captain 
Putnam  does  not  a^ow  his -pupils  to  leave  the 


FRIENDS  AND  ENEMIES.  55 

grounds  excepting  on  special  occasions.  But 
papa  caught  three  of  the  pupils  in  our  straw- 
berry patch  once." 

"  He  did?  And  what  happened  to  the  fel- 
lows? "  put  in  Tom  with  deep  interest. 

"  Father  made  them  pick  twelve  quarts  of 
berries  for  him  for  nothing,  and  didn't  let  them 
eat  a  single  one." 

"  Great  Caesar!  What  a — a  fine  fellow  your 
dad — I  mean  your  father — must  be." 

"  Of  course  he  is  fine.  The  boys  had  no  right 
to  attempt  stealing  the  berries.  My  father 
would  have  given  them  some  for  the  asking." 

"  But  they  wouldn't  have  been  half  as  sweet 
as  if  they  were  hooked  on  the  sly,"  said  Tom 
wisely,  and  everybody  laughed. 

"  You  boys  ought  to  have  fine  times  at  Put- 
nam Hall,"  went  on  Dora  to  Dick.  "  I  some- 
times see  the  soldier  boys  marching;  and 
once,  last  summer,  I  visited  their  encamp- 
ment." 

"  We  are  looking  forward  to  a  good  time," 
was  the  answer.  "  And  I  trust  we  see  you 
again,"  went  on  Dick;  and  Dora  blushed 
prettily. 

The  Golden  Star  was  now  approaching  a  little 
landing  known  as  Hopedale,  and  all  left  their 
chairs  to  see  the  village,  and  people  getting  on 
and  off.  It  was  an  engaging  scene,  and  they 


$6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

did  not  return  to  the  bow  of  the  boat  until  ten 
minutes  later,  after  taking  a  walk  completely 
around  the  steamer's  deck. 

In  the  bow  a  surprise  awaited  them.  During 
their  absence  Dan  Baxter  had  appropriated  four 
of  their  camp  chairs  and  was  stretched  out  on 
them  as  if  in  sleep. 

"  Oh,  what  a  cheek!  "  cried  Tom. 

"  Let  us  haul  him  off,"  suggested  Sam. 

"  All  right,  come  ahead,"  put  in  Fred. 

"  Oh,  please  don't  have  another  row  with 
him!  "  cried  Dora  in  alarm.  "  Let  him  keep  the 
seats.  We  can  go  somewhere  else." 

"  All  right,  let  the  pig  sleep,"  said  Dick. 

He  felt  tolerably  certain  that  Dan  Baxter  was 
awake  and  heard  him,  but  the  bully  made  no 
sign. 

The  party  walked  away,  and  the  bully  sneered 
softly  to  himself. 

"  They  didn't  dare  to  tackle  me,"  was  what  he 
thought  in  his  conceit.  "  I'd  like  to  meet  'em 
one  by  one  alone — I'd  show  each  a  trick  or 
two." 

At  last  Cedarville  was  reached  and  the  little 
steamer  tied  up  at  the  dock,  and  the  boys  and 
girls  went  ashore.  Just  before  leaving,  Dick 
took  a  look  at  Dan  Baxter  and  saw  that  he  was 
now  sleeping  in  earnest. 

"  I  won't  wake  him,"  he  thought.     "  If  he  is 


FRIENDS  AND  ENEMIES.  57 

carried  to  the  head  of  the  lake  it  will  only  serve 
him  right." 

Once  on  the  dock,  he  and  Fred  hurried  off  to 
see  about  the  baggage,  and  while  they  were 
gone  a  well-dressed  and  pleasant-looking  farmer 
came  up  and  kissed  each  of  the  girls.  It  was 
Mr.  Laning. 

"  I  hope  you  had  a  nice  visit  to  Cousin 
May's,"  he  said.  "  Come,  the  carriage  is  wait- 
ing out  in  the  street." 

And  he  hurried  the  girls  away  before  they 
had  hardly  time  to  say  good-by. 

"  Nice  girls,"  remarked  Tom. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  answered  Sam.  "  I  hope  we 
see  them  again." 

"  We  won't  have  much  of  a  chance  if  what 
they  say  about  Putnam  Hall  is  true,  Sam.  Evi- 
dently Captain  Putnam  believes  in  keeping  his 
pupils  well  in  hand." 

"  Well,  Uncle  Randolph  believes  we  ought  to 
be  taken  well  in  hand." 

Dick  and  Fred  returned  presently,  bringing 
with  them  a  tall,  lean  man  of  apparently  fifty. 

"  Boys,"  cried  Fred,  "  let  me  introduce  you 
to  Mr.  Peleg  Snugsomebody,  general  utility 
man  at  Putnam  Hall." 

"  Peleg  Snuggers,  please,"  said  the  man 
meekly.  "  Excuse  me,  but  I  was  sent  to  bring 
you  to  the  Hall." 


58  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Do  we  walk?  "  demanded  Tom. 

"  No,  sir;  the  carryall  is  out  on  the  street,  and 
my  boy  Pete  has  the  wagon  for  your  trunks." 

"  The  trunks  are  already  in  the  wagon,"  said 
Dick.  "  Come  ahead." 

"  How  many  of  you,  please?  "  went  on  Peleg 
Snuggers. 

"  There  is  only  one  of  me,  thank  you,"  an- 
swered Tom  meekly. 

"  Don't  joke  me  so  early  in  the  term,  please," 
said  the  utility  man  pleadingly.  "  Goodness 
knows,  I'll  get  more  than  my  share  between  now 
and  Christmas.  I  mean,  how  many  in  the 
party?  " 

"  Five  of  us,  Mr.  Sluggrub." 

"  Snuggers,  please;  Peleg  Snuggers — an  easy 
name  to  remember  when  you  get  the  swing  of  it, 
sir." 

"  To  be  sure,  Smullers.  Yes,  there  are 
exactly  five  of  us,"  and  Tom  winked  at  his  com- 
panions. 

"  That's  all  right;  the  captain  said  to  bring 
five.  Where  is  the  other?  " 

"  What  other?  " 

"  The  other  boy.     I  see  only  four  of  you.'' 

"  You  asked  me  how  many  there  were  in  the 
party,  Mr.  Snugbug." 

"  Yes,  sir;  and  you  said  five." 

"  Four  of  us,  and  only  one  of  you.     Isn't  that 


FRIENDS  AND  ENEMIES.  59 

five — or  do  they  have  a  different  kind  of  arith- 
metic at  Putnam  Hall  from  what  I  have  been 
studying?  " 

"  Please  don't  joke,  Master  Rover,  please 
don't.  I  was  to  bring  five  boys."  The  utility 
man  drew  a  slip  of  paper  from  his  pocket. 
"  Four  new  boys — Richard,  Samuel,  and 
Thomas  Rover,  and  Frederick  Garrison — and 
Corporal  Daniel  Baxter." 

"  Gracious,  the  bully  is  a  corporal  at  the 
Hall! "  came  from  Sam  in  so  low  a  tone  that 
Snuggers  did  not  catch  it. 

"  The  corporal  isn't  present,"  said  Fred,  gaz- 
ing around  absently. 

"So  he  isn't.  Must  have  missed  the  boat. 
Come  along,  please,"  and  Peleg  Snuggers  led 
the  way  to  where  a  large  and  extra-heavy  carry- 
all stood.  A  splendid  team  of  iron-grays  was 
attached  to  the  carriage;  and  Dick,  who  loved 
good  horseflesh,  could  not  help  but  admire  the 
animals. 

"  Oh,  they  are  fine,  Master  Richard,"  said 
Snuggers.  "  Nothing  finer  on  the  lake  shore. 
Captain  Putnam's  one  recreation  is  to  drive  be- 
hind a  fast  team." 

"  Is  it?  I  wish  he  would  take  me  out  with 
him  some  time." 

"  Always  drives  alone.  Reckon  it  kind  of 
quiets  him,  after  a  noisy  time  with  the  boys,  sir." 


60  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  I  suppose." 

They  were  soon  on  the  way,  which  led  out 
of  Cedarville  and  over  a  hill  fronting  the 
lake. 

"  By  the  way,  do  you  know  where  the  farms 
belonging  to  Mr.  Stanhope  and  to  Mr.  Laning 
are  located?  "  asked  Tom,  when  they  were  well 
out  of  the  village. 

"  Mr.  Stanhope,  sir?  There  isn't  any  Mr. 
Stanhope.  He  died  two  years  ago.  That  place 
you  see  away  over  yonder  is  Mrs.  Stanhope's 
farm." 

"  She  has  a  daughter  Dora?  " 

"  Yes."  Peleg  Snuggers  paused  for  a  mo- 
ment. "  They  say  the  widder  thinks  of  marry- 
ing again." 

"  Is  that  so! "  put  in  Dick,  and  then  he  won- 
dered if  Dora  would  be  pleased  with  her  step- 
father. "  So  that  is  the  place?  " 

"  Yes,  sir;  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and 
the  finest  dairy  in  these  parts.  If  the  widder 
marries  again,  her  husband  will  fall  into  a  very 
good  thing.  The  dairy  company  at  Ithaca  once 
offered  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  the  cattle  and 
land."  . 

"  Gracious!  "  came  from  Tom.  "  We've  been 
chumming  with  an  heiress.  Are  the  Lanings 
rich,  too?  " 

"Very  well-to-do.     That  is  their  place,  up 


FRIENDS  AND  ENEMIES.  6 1 

that  side  road.  Here  is  where  we  turn  off  to  get 
to  the  Hall.  Captain  Putnam  had  this  road 
made  when  the  Hall  was  first  built." 

The  road  was  one  of  cracked  stone,  as  smooth 
as  a  huge  iron  roller  could  make  it.  They 
bowled  along  at  a  rapid  rate,  under  the  wide- 
spreading  branches  of  two  rows  of  stately 
maples.  They  were  close  to  the  lake,  and  occa- 
sional glimpses  of  water  could  be  caught 
through  the  tree  branches. 

"  It  is  certainly  a  splendid  locality  for  a  board- 
ing academy,"  was  Dick's  comment.  "  My, 
what  pure  air — enough  to  make  a  sick  boy 
strong!  Do  you  have  much  sickness  at  the 
Hall?" 

"  Very  little,  sir.  The  captain  does  not  let  a 
case  of  sickness  stand,  but  calls  in  Dr.  Fremley 
at  once." 

"  That  is  where  he  is  level-headed,"  said  Fred. 
"  My  father  said  I  was  to  call  for  a  doctor  the 
minute  I  felt  at  all  sick." 

They  were  now  approaching  Putnam  Hall, 
but  there  was  still  another  turn  to  make.  As 
they  swept  around  this,  they  came  upon  a  tramp, 
half  asleep  under  a  tree.  The  tramp  roused  up 
at  the  sounds  of  carriage  wheels  and  looked  first 
at  the  driver  of  the  carryall  and  then  at  the  four 
boys. 

"  Phew! "  he  ejaculated,  and  lost  no  time  in 


62  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

diving  out  of  sight  into  some  brush  back  of  the 
row  of  maples. 

"  Hullo,  who  was  that?  "  cried  Sam. 

"  A  tramp,  I  reckon,"  answered  the  utility 
man.  "  We  are  bothered  a  good  deal  with 
them." 

"  Begging  at  the  Hall  for  the  left-overs?  " 

"  Exactly.  The  captain  is  too  kind-hearted. 
He  ought  to  drive  'em  all  away,"  answered 
Peleg  Snuggers;  and  then  the  carryall  passed  on. 

When  it  was  gone,  and  the  wagon  with  the 
trunks  had  followed,  the  tramp  came  out  of  the 
brush  and  gazed  after  both  turnouts.  "  Say, 
Buddy  Girk,  but  dat  was  a  narrow  escape,"  he 
muttered  to  himself.  "  Wot  brought  dem 
young  gents  to  dis  neighborhood?  It  can't  be 
possible  da  have  tracked  me — an'  so  quick." 
He  hesitated.  "  I  t'ink  I  had  better  give  dis 
neighborhood  de  go-by,"  and  he  dove  into  the 
brush  again.  He  was  the  rascal  who  had  stolen 
Dick's  timepiece. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

TOM    GETS    INTO    TROUBLE. 

Putnam  Hall  was  a  fine  building  of  brick  and 
stone,  standing  in  the  center  of  a  beautiful 
parade  ground  of  nearly  ten  acres.  In  front  of 
the  parade  ground  was  the  wagon  road,  and  be- 
yond was  a  gentle  slope  leading  down  to  the 
lake.  To  the  left  of  the  building  was  a  play- 
ground hedged  in  by  cedars,  at  one  corner  of 
which  stood  a  two-story  frame  building  used  as 
a  gymnasium.  To  the  right  was  a  woods,  while 
in  the  rear  were  a  storehouse,  a  stable,  and  sev- 
eral other  outbuildings,  backed  up  by  some  farm 
lands,  cultivated  for  the  sole  benefit  of  the  insti- 
tution, so  that  the  pupils  were  served  in  season 
with  the  freshest  of  fruits  and  vegetables. 

The  Hall  was  built  in  the  form  of  the  letter  E, 
the  upright  line  forming  the  front  of  the  build- 
ing and  the  other  lines  representing  wings  in  the 
rear.  There  were  three  entrances — one  for  the 
teachers  and  senior  class  in  the  center,  one  for 
the  middle  classes  on  the  right,  and  another  for 
the  youngest  pupils  on  the  left.  There  were,  of 
course,  several  doors  in  the  rear  in  addition. 
.63. 


t>4  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

The  entire  ground  floor  of  the  Hall  was  given 
over  to  class-  and  drill-rooms.  The  second  floor 
was  occupied  by  Captain  Putnam  and  his  staff 
of  assistants  and  the  pupils  as  living  and  sleep- 
ing apartments,  while  the  top  floor  was  used  by 
the  servants,  although  there  were  also  several 
dormitories  there,  used  by  young  boys,  who 
came  under  the  care  of  Mrs.  Green,  the  house- 
keeper. 

Captain  Victor  Putnam  was  a  bachelor.  A 
West  Point  graduate,  he  had  seen  gallant  service 
in  the  West,  where  he  had  aided  the  daring  Gen- 
eral Custer  during  many  an  Indian  uprising.  A 
fall  from  a  horse,  during  a  campaign  in  the  Black 
Hills,  had  laid  him  on  a  long  bed  of  sickness,  and 
had  later  on  caused  him  to  retire  from  the 
army  and  go  back  to  his  old  profession  of 
school-teaching.  He  might  have  had  a  posi- 
tion at  West  Point  as  an  instructor,  but  he  had 
preferred  to  run  his  own  military  academy.* 

"  Hurrah,  here  we  are  at  last !  "  cried  Fred 
Garrison,  as  the  carryall  swept  into  view  of  the 
Hall.  "  I  see  twenty  or  thirty  of  the  students, 
and  all  togged  out  in  soldier  clothes !  " 

"  I  suppose  we'll  be  wearing  suits  soon/'  an- 

*  For  the  doings  of  the  Putnam  Hall  students  previous 
to  the  arrival  at  that  institution  of  the  Rover  boys  see 
"  The  Putnam  Hall  Series,"  the  first  volume  of  which  is 
entitled,  "  The  Putnam  Hall  Cadets."— PUBLISHERS. 


TOM  GETS  INTO    TROUBLE.  65 

swered  Tom.  "  By  George!  I'm  going  to  give 
'em  a  salute." 

"  How?  "  asked  Sam. 

"  Never  mind.     Just  wait  and  see." 

In  a  minute  more  they  swept  up  to  the  gate- 
way leading  to  the  parade  ground.  Some  of  the 
pupils  had  seen  the  carriage  coming,  and  they 
ran  down  to  learn  if  any  old  friends  had  arrived. 

"Hullo!"  yelled  several. 

"  Hullo  yourself! "  came  in  return,  and  then 
Tom  drew  out  the  firecracker  still  in  his  pocket 
and  lit  it  on  the  sly.  Just  as  it  was  about  to  ex- 
plode he  threw  it  up  into  the  air. 

Bang!  The  report  was  loud  and  clear,  and 
everybody  within  hearing  rushed  to  the  spot  to 
see  what  it  meant.  There  were  forty  or  fifty 
pupils  and  two  assistant  teachers,  but  Captain 
Putnam  had  gone  out. 

"Hi!  hi!  what  does  this  mean?"  came  in  a 
high-pitched  voice,  and  Josiah  Crabtree,  the 
first  assistant,  rushed  up  to  the  carryall. 
"  What  was  that  exploded?  " 

"  A  big  firecracker,  sir,"  answered  Peleg 
Snuggers. 

"  And  who  exploded  it?  " 

Before  the  utility  man  could  answer  there 
came  a  cry  from  the  parade  ground : 

"  Don't  peach,  Peleg,  don't  peach!  " 

"  Silence,  boys!  "  burst  from  Josiah  Crabtree 


66  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

wrathfully.  "  Such  a  disturbance  is  against  the 
rule*  of  this  institution." 

"  We  didn't  fire  the  cracker,"  piped  up  a  tall, 
^!im  boy.  "  It  came  from  the  carriage." 

"  Mumps,  you're  nothing  but  a  sneak  and 
tattle-tale,"  was  the  reply  to  this,  from  several 
older  cadets;  and,  afraid  of  having  his  ears  boxed 
on  the  sly,  John  Fenwick,  nicknamed  Mumps 
by  everybody  in  the  Hall,  ran  off. 

"  Which  of  you  fired  the  cracker?  "  demanded 
Josiah  Crabtree,  advancing  to  the  carriage  step. 

There  was  no  reply,  and  he  turned  to  the 
driver. 

"  Snuggers,  what  have  you  to  say?  " 

"  I  can't  say  anything,  sir.  I  was  taking  care 
of  the  horses,  sir,"  answered  the  hired  man 
meekly. 

"  I  will  find  out  who  fired  the  cracker  before 
I  have  finished  with  you,"  growled  the  head 
assistant.  "  Get  down  and  inarch  into  the 
Hall." 

"  Gracious,  what  have  we  struck  now?  "  whis- 
pered Fred  to  Dick. 

"  Is  this  Captain  Putnam?  "  asked  Dick,  with- 
out answering  his  chum, 

"  No,  young  man;  I  am  Josiah  Crabtree, 
A.  M.,  Captain  Putnam's  first  assistant.  And 
you  are "  He  paused. 


TOM  GETS  INTO    TROUBLE.  67 

"  I  am  Dick  Rover,  sir.  These  are  my 
brothers,  Tom  and  Sam." 

"  And  I  am  Fred  Garrison,"  finished  that 
youth. 

"  Very  good.  I  hope,  Richard,  that  you  were 
not  guilty  of  firing  that  cracker?  " 

"  Was  there  any  great  harm  in  giving  you  a 
salute  upon  our  arrival?  " 

"  Such  a  thing  is  against  the  rules  of  the  insti- 
tution. Article  29  says,  *  No  pupil  shall  use  any 
firearms  or  explosive  at  any  time  excepting 
upon  special  permission.' ' 

4<  We  are  not  pupils  yet,  Mr.  Crabtree." 

"  That  argument  will  not  pass,  sir.  So  you 
fired  the  cracker?  Very  well.  Mr.  Strong!  " 

The  second  assistant  came  up.  He  was  a 
man  of  not  over  twenty-five,  and  his  face  was 
mild  and  pleasant. 

"  What  is  it,  Mr.  Crabtree." 

"  You  will  take  charge  of  the  other  new 
pupils,  while  I  take  charge  of  the  one  who  has 
broken  our  rules  on  his  very  arrival." 

"Hold  on!"  cried  Tom.  "What  are  you 
going  to  do  with  my  brother?  " 

"  That  is  none  of  your  business,  Master 
Rover.  You  will  go  with  Mr.  Strong." 

"  He  didn't  fire  the  cracker.     I  did  that." 

"You!* 


68  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Yes — and  I'm  not  ashamed  to  own  it.  I 
wasn't  a  pupil  when  I  did  it, — I'm  not  a  pupil 
yet, — so  I  can't  see  how  you  can  punish  me  for 
breaking  one  of  your  rules." 

At  this  there  came  a  titter  from  the  cadets 
gathered  around.  Hardly  any  of  them  liked 
Josiah  Crabtree,  who  was  dictatorial  beyond  all 
reason.  The  head  assistant  flushed  up. 

"  You  are  a  pupil  here,  and  I  will  show  you 
that  you  cannot  break  our  rules  with  impunity, 
and  be  impudent  to  me  in  the  bargain!"  cried 
Crabtree.  "Come  with  me!"  and  he  caught 
Tom  by  the  arm,  while  Dick  and  the  others  were 
led  off  in  another  direction. 

"  Surely,  this  is  a  fine  beginning,"  thought 
Tom  as  he  walked  along.  He  was  half  inclined 
to  break  away,  but  concluded  to  await  develop- 
ments. 

"  Are  you  going  to  take  me  to  Captain  Put- 
nam? "  he  questioned. 

"  We  do  not  permit  cadets  placed  under 
arrest  to  ask  questions." 

"  Great  smoke!     Am  I  under  arrest?  " 

"  You  are." 

"  Perhaps  you'll  want  to  hang  me  next." 

"  Silence!  Or  I  shall  be  tempted  to  sentence 
you  to  a  caning." 

"  You'll  never  cane  me,  sir." 

"  Silence !     You  have  evidently  been  a  way- 


TOM  GETS  INTO    TROUBLE.  69 

ward  boy  at  home.  If  so,  it  will  be  best  for  you 
to  remember  that  all  that  is  now  at  an  end,  and 
you  must  behave  yourself  and  obey  orders." 

"  Can't  a  fellow  breathe  without  permission?  " 

"Silence!" 

"  How  about  if  I  want  a  drink  of  water?  " 

"Silence,  I  say!"  stormed  Josiah  Crabtree. 
"  I'll  warrant  you'll  not  feel  so  smart  by  the  time 
you  are  ready  to  leave  Putnam  Hall." 

There  was  a  silence  after  this,  as  the  head 
assistant  led  the  way  into  the  building  and  con- 
ducted Tom  to  a  small  room  looking  out  toward 
the  rear. 

"  You  will  remain  here,  Rover,  until  Captain 
Putnam  returns." 

"  How  long  will  that  be?  " 

"  Didn't  I  tell  you  not  to  ask  questions?  " 

"  But  Captain  Putnam  may  not  return  for  a 
day  or  a  month,"  went  on  Tom  innocently. 

"  Captain  Putnam  will  be  back  in  an  hour  or 
two."  Without  another  word,  Josiah  Crabtree 
turned  and  left  the  room,  locking  the  door  be- 
hind him. 

"Well,  by  crickety!"  came  from  the  boy 
when  he  was  left  alone.  "  I've  put  my  foot  into 
it  from  the  very  start.  I  wonder  what  Captain 
Putnam  will  say  to  this?  If  he's  half  as  sour- 
minded  as  old  Crabtree,  I'll  catch  it.  But  I 
haven't  done  anything  wrong,  and  they  shan't 


7<>  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

cane  me — and  that's  flat !  "  and  he  shook  his 
curly  head  decidedly. 

The  room  was  less  than  ten  feet  square  and 
plainly  furnished  with  two  chairs  and  a  small 
couch.  In  one  corner  was  a  washstand  con- 
taining a  basin  and  a  pitcher  of  water. 

"  This  looks  a  good  deal  like  a  cell,"  he  mused 
as  he  gazed  around.  Suddenly  his  eyes  caught 
some  writing  on  the  wall  in  lead  pencil.  He 
stepped  over  to  read  it. 

"  Josiah  Crabtree  put  me  here, 
And  I  am  feeling  very  queer  ; 
He  boxed  my  ears  and  pulled  my  hair — 
Oh,  when  I'm  free  won't  I  get  square  .'  " 

"  Somebody  else  has  been  here  before  me," 
thought  Tom.  "  I  rather  reckon  I'll  get  square 
too.  Hullo,  here's  another  Whittier  or  Long- 
fellow: 

"  '  In  this  lock-up  I'm  confined ; 
If  I  stay  long  I'll  lose  my  mind. 
Two  days  and  nights  I've  paced  the  floor, 
As  many  others  have  before.'  " 

"  I  hope  I  don't  stay  two  days  and  nights," 
said  Tom  half  aloud.  Then  he  walked  to  the 
single  window  of  the  apartment,  to  find  that  it 
was  heavily  barred. 

"  No  escaping  that  way,"  he  went  on,  and 
turned  to  read  another  inscription,  this  time  in 
blank  verse: 


TOM  GETS  INTO    TROUBLE.  71 

"  And  I  am  jugged, 
Alone  in  solitude,  and  by  myself 
Alone.     I  sit  and  think,  and  think, 
And  think  again.     Old  Crabtree, 
Base  villain  that  he  is,  hath  put  me  here  ! 
And  why?    Ah,  thereby  hangs  a  tale,  Horatio  ! 
His  teeth,  the  teeth  that  chew  the  best  of  steak 
Set  on  our  table — those  I  found  and  hid  ; 
And  Mumps,  the  sneak,  hath  told  on  me  !    Alas  ! 
When  will  my  martyrdom  end  ?  " 

"  Good  for  the  chap  who  hid  the  teeth !  "  con- 
tinued Tom,  and  smiled  as  he  thought  of  the 
rage  Crabtree  must  have  been  in  when  he  dis- 
covered that  his  false  teeth  were  gone.  A  rattle 
in  the  keyhole  disturbed  him,  and  he  dropped 
onto  a  chair  just  as  the  head  assistant  again  ap- 
peared. 

"  I  want  the  keys  to  your  trunk  and  your 
satchel,"  he  said. 

"  What  for,  sir?  " 

"  Didn't  I  tell  you  before  not  to  ask  ques- 
tions? " 

"  But  my  keys  are  my  own  private  property, 
and  so  is  what  is  in  the  trunk  and  the  satchel." 

"  All  pupils'  baggage  is  examined,  Rover,  to 
see  that  nothing  improper  is  introduced  into  the 
Hall." 

"  Want  to  see  if  I've  got  any  more  fire- 
crackers? " 

"  We  do  not  allow  dime  novels,  or  eatables, 
or  other  things  that  might  harm  our  pupils." 


/2  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Eating  never  harmed  me,  sir." 

"  Sometimes  parents  load  up  their  boys  with! 
delicacies  which  are  decidedly  harmful.  Come, 
the  keys." 

Josiah  Crabtree's  tones  were  so  harsh  that 
Tom's  heart  rebelled  on  the  moment. 

"  I  shan't  give  them  to  you,  Mr.  Crabtree. 
You  have  no  right  to  place  me  here.  I  wish  to 
see  the  proprietor,  Captain  Putnam,  at  once." 

"  Do  you — er — refuse  to  recognize  my  au- 
thority over  you?  "  cried  Josiah  Crabtree  pas- 
sionately. 

"  I  do,  sir.  When  I  have  met  Captain  Put- 
nam and  been  enrolled  as  a  cadet  it  may  be  dif- 
ferent. But  at  present  I  am  not  a  cadet  and  not 
under  your  authority." 

"  We'll  see,  boy,  we'll  see!  "  came  hotly  from 
the  head  assistant.  "  Before  I  am  done  with 
you,  you  will  be  sorry  that  you  have  defied  me!  " 

And  with  these  words  he  went  out,  slamming 
the  door  after  him.  Tom  had  made  an  enemy 
at  the  very  start  of  his  career  as  a  cadet. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A    MEETING    IN    THE    MESSROOH. 

In  the  meantime  Dick,  Sam,  and  Fred  had 
been  having  quite  a  different  experience. 
George  Strong,  the  second  assistant  at  Putnam 
Hall,  was  not  only  a  first-class  teacher,  but  a 
calm  and  fair-minded  gentleman  as  well;  and  in 
addition,  and  this  was  highly  important,  he  was 
not  so  old  but  that  he  could  remember  perfectly 
well  when  he  had  been  a  boy  himself. 

"  Come  this  way,  my  lads,"  he  said  with  a 
faint  smile.  "  I  trust  you  will  soon  feel  at  home 
in  Putnam  Hall.  It  is  Captain  Putnam's  desire 
to  have  all  of  his  boys,  as  he  calls  them,  feel  that 
way." 

"  What  will  Mr.  Crabtree  do  with  my 
brother?  "  asked  Dick  anxiously. 

"  I  cannot  say,  Rover.  Probably  he  will 
place  him  in  the  guardroom  until  Captain  Put- 
nam arrives/' 

"  I  am  sure  he  didn't  do  much  that  was 
wrong." 

"  We  had  better  not  discuss  that  question,  my 
boy.  Come  this  way;  I  will  conduct  you  to 
your  room." 

73 


74  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

George  Strong  showed  them  into  the  main 
hallway  and  up  the  stairs  to  the  second  story. 
Passing  through  a  side  hall,  they  entered  a  large, 
bright  dormitory  overlooking  the  parade-  and 
the  playground.  Here  were  eight  beds,  four  on 
either  side,  with  as  many  chairs,  and  also  a  table 
and  two  washbowls,  with  running  water  sup- 
plied from  a  tower  on  the  roof,  the  water  being 
pumped  up  by  the  aid  of  a  windmill. 

"  This  room  has  not  been  occupied  this  year," 
said  the  teacher.  "  Captain  Putnam  and  Mrs. 
Green,  our  housekeeper,  thought  it  might  be  as 
well  to  put  you  in  here  together,  along  with 
Lawrence  Colby  and  Frank  Harrington,  when 
they  come.  I  believe  you  are  all  friends,  at  least 
Harrington  and  Colby  intimated  as  much  in 
their  letters." 

"They  told  the  truth,"  cried  Sam.  "This 
just  suits  me,  and  we  owe  Captain  Putnam  and 
Mrs.  Green  one  for  doing  it." 

George  Strong  smiled.  Then  the  smile  faded 
as  he  remembered  how  Josiah  Crabtree  had  once 
told  Captain  Putnam  that  he  did  not  believe  in 
letting  chums  room  together.  "  Place  each  boy 
among  strangers,"  Crabtree  had  said.  "  It  will 
make  him  more  reliant."  But  Captain  Put- 
nam had  not  listened  to  the  crabbed  old  fellow, 
and  Strong  was  glad  of  it. 

"  Here  is  a  large  closet,  in  which  each  of  you 


A   MEETING  IN   THE  MESSROOM.  75 

can  stow  his  clothing  when  it  is  dealt  out  to  him. 
Your  ordinary  suits  will,  of  course,  be  placed 
away  for  you,  for  during  the  academy  term  you 
will  as  cadets  wear  only  your  uniforms." 

"  When  will  I  get  my  uniform?  "  asked  Fred, 
who  was  anxious  to  don  his  "  soldier  fixings," 
as  he  put  it. 

"  To-morrow,  if  we  have  any  suit  on  hand  that 
fits." 

"  I  don't  want  a  second-handed  suit,"  put  in 
Sam. 

George  Strong  laughed.  "  Don't  worry,  my 
boy;  every  pupil  gets  new  clothing.  But  many 
boys  are  so  nearly  of  a  size  that  Captain  Putnam 
always  keeps  a  dozen  or  more  suits  on  hand." 

"  Oh,  that's  different." 

"  The  beds  are  all  numbered,  and  to  avoid  dis- 
putes we  always  put  the  eldest  boy  in  bed  No. 
i,  and  so  on.  You  can  arrange  this  between 
yourselves,  and  I  feel  certain  you  won't  get  into 
a  dispute." 

"We  won't  quarrel,"  said  Dick.  "I  don't 
know  exactly  how  old  Frank  and  Larry  are, 
though." 

"  Then  arrange  to  suit  yourselves  until  they 
come,"  concluded  Mr.  Strong. 

Having  shown  them  their  dormitory,  he  con- 
ducted them  through  the  building  and  exhibited 
various  class-  and  drill-rooms,  and  then 


76  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

ended  up  by  introducing  them  to  several  other 
pupils,  including  Bart  Conners,  the  major  for 
the  term,  and  Harry  Blossom  and  Dave  Kear- 
ney, the  two  captains. 

"Welcome  to  Putnam  Hall!"  cried  Major 
Bart  Conners,  a  tall  youth  of  nearly  seventeen. 
He  shook  hands  all  around,  and  so  did  the  two 
captains;  and  then  the  assistant  teacher  left  the 
party. 

"  Oh,  it  was  a  shame  the  way  Crabtree  treated 
your  brother!"  said  Captain  Harry  to  Dick. 
"  It's  a  wonder  to  me  that  Captain  Putnam 
keeps  him  here." 

"  I  was  in  for  getting  up  a  petition  to  have 
Crabtree  removed,"  put  in  Captain  Dave.  "  I 
think  every  boy  in  the  academy  would  sign  it." 

"  I  hope  Captain  Putnam  is  not  so  severe," 
said  Fred. 

"  Not  by  a  jugful,  Garrison,"  came  from  Cap- 
tain Harry.  "  He's  strict,  and  makes  everybody 
toe  the  mark,  but  you  couldn't  find  a  better  all- 
around  man." 

"  Then  he'll  suit  me." 

It  was  now  quite  late,  and  presently  a  loud, 
clear  bell  rang  out  in  the  belfry. 

"  Six  o'clock,"  said  Captain  Dave  Kearney. 
"  That  is  to  bring  in  the  boys  from  the  play- 
ground. They  have  fifteen  minutes  in  which  to 
wash  up  for  supper.  Excuse  me,  I'll  be  needed 


A  MEETING  IN   THE  MESSROOM.  77 

in  ten  minutes  to  form  my  company,"  and  soon 
the  newcomers  found  themselves  alone  with 
several  others  who  had  just  arrived  at  Putnam 
Hall. 

The  cadets  were  rushing  from  everywhere  to 
the  lavatories,  to  make  themselves  presentable 
on  parade.  Soon  they  began  to  form  on  the 
grounds  before  the  building.  Dick  and  the 
others  saw  them  divide  up  into  two  companies, 
with  Harry  Blossom  at  the  head  of  the  first  and 
Dave  Kearney  leading  the  second.  The  two 
companies,  called  a  battalion,  were  commanded 
by  Major  Bart.  In  addition  to  the  officers, 
there  were  two  drummers,  a  bass-drummer,  and 
two  fifers. 

"Companies,  attention!"  came  the  com- 
mand, and  the  lines  became  rigid.  "  By  col- 
umns of  fours — march !  "  The  drums  struck 
up,  and  away  went  the  columns  of  each  com- 
pany, to  the  front  of  the  parade  ground.  Then 
they  wheeled  to  the  right,  the  fifers  started  up  a 
lively  air,  and  the  cadets  marched  around  the 
hall  three  times,  and  at  last  into  the  door  nearest 
to  the  mess-hall  or  dining  room, 

"  By  Jinks,  that's  fine!  "  cried  Sam.  "  Cadet 
life  will  suit  me,  I'm  sure  of  it." 

The  cadets  had  hardly  disappeared  before  one 
of  the  waiters  in  the  mess-hall  came  forward. 
"  Please  come  right  in,  gents,"  he  said.  "  Mr. 


78  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

Strong  will  give  you  places  at  the  tables."  And 
in  they  went,  and  soon  found  themselves  seated 
among  as  jolly  a  set  of  boys  as  they  had  ever 
encountered. 

Of  course  there  were  exceptions;  where  would 
there  not  be  in  a  crowd  of  nearly  a  hundred? 
There  were  pupils  there  who  were  morose  by 
nature,  those  who  seldom  or  never  smiled,  and 
there  were  likewise  half  a  dozen  of  the  Dan  Bax- 
ter order — bullies  and  worse.  We  shall  see 
more  of  all  these  characters  as  our  tale  pro- 
gresses. 

"  I  wonder  if  Tom  is  going  to  get  any  sup- 
per? "  said  Dick  to  his  younger  brother. 

"  If  they  don't  give  him  any  I'll  raise  a  kick, 
Dick." 

"  So  will  I." 

"  Silence  at  the  table! "  came  in  the  sharp 
tones  of  Josiah  Crabtree,  who  presided  over  the 
particular  board  at  which  the  Rovers  had  been 
placed. 

"  I  was  only  wondering  if  my  brother  was 
going  to  get  any  supper,"  returned  Sam  boldly. 

"  Silence!     I  will  take  care  of  that." 

In  the  midst  of  the  meal  a  newcomer  appeared 
at  the  doorway  to  the  messroom.  It  was  Dan 
Baxter. 

"Well,  Baxter,  how  is  this?"  asked  Mr. 
Strong,  the  teacher  nearest  to  him. 


A   MEETING  IN   THE  MESSROOM.  79 

"  I — I  was  carried  to  Bar  Landing,"  answered 
the  bully  sheepishly. 

"  Bar  Landing-?  Then  you  were  on  the  after- 
noon boat  from  Ithaca?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  How  did  you  come  to  be  carried  past  Cedar- 
ville?" 

"  I — er — fell  asleep  on  the  trip." 

"  Indeed !  Well,  when  next  you  travel  you 
had  better  try  to  keep  awake,"  was  George 
Strong's  comment,  and  a  titter  passed  along  the 
table,  which  made  Dan  Baxter  very  angry. 
"  Sit  down  here.  Alexander,  help  Baxter  to 
some  supper." 

"  Yes,  sah,"  came  from  the  waiter;  and  no 
more  was  said.  Presently  Baxter  caught  sight 
of  Dick  at  the  table  opposite,  and  he  looked 
daggers  at  the  youth.  "  He's  got  it  in  for  me," 
thought  Dick;  and  he  was  right. 

The  supper  at  an  end,  the  pupils  were  allowed 
two  hours  to  themselves — one  hour  outdoors  if 
they  wished  it,  or  both  hours  in  the  reading 
room,  which  was  well  supplied  with  books  and 
all  of  the  best  magazines.  The  newcomers  went 
out  in  a  bunch,  and  Captain  Harry  Blossom  ac- 
companied them. 

"  I'll  show  you  the  gymnasium,  if  you  wish  to 
see  it,"  he  said. 

"  I  would  like  to  know  something  about  Tom 


80  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

first,"  replied  Dick.  "  Where  have  they  placed 
him?" 

"  Undoubtedly  in  the  guardroom." 

"  Where  is  that?  " 

"  Do  you  see  that  window  over  there?  "  and 
Captain  Harry  pointed  with  his  hand. 

"  Yes,"  came  from  Dick  and  Sam  together. 

"  Well,  that's  the  window  to  the  place." 

"  I  wonder  if  I  can't  talk  to  my  brother?  " 
went  on  Dick. 

"  It's  against  the  rules  to  talk  to  a  prisoner." 

"  Well,  I'm  going  to  talk  anyway."  said  Dick 
with  a  recklessness  which  was  unusual  to  him. 
"  I  want  to  find  out  just  what  they  are  doing 
with  him." 

"  I  guess  I  had  best  leave  this  crowd,"  re- 
marked the  young  captain  of  Company  A. 

Dick  was  about  to  ask  why,  when  Sam 
nudged  him  on  the  arm.  "  Let  him  go,"  whis- 
pered the  younger  brother. 

In  a  moment  more  Captain  Harry  had  walked 
away. 

"  Don't  you  see  what  he  meant?  "  asked  Sam 
aloud. 

"  Well  hardly." 

"  Then  you  are  losing  some  of  your  wit,  Dick. 
He  didn't  want  to  see  us  break  the  rules.  I  sup- 
pose if  he  had  seen  us  he  would  have  felt  it  his 
duty  to  report  us." 


A  MEETING  Iff  THE  MESSROOM.  8 1 


'  That's  so,  Sam.     How  thick  I  was! 
I'm  going  over  to  the  window  now." 

"  So  am  I." 

"  And  I'll  go  too,"  added  Fred. 

Off  the  three  hurried  across  the  parade 
ground,  the  other  new  cadets  watching  them 
curiously,  for  all  had  heard  of  what  Tom  had 
done  and  how  Josiah  Crab  tree  had  treated  him. 

The  window  of  the  guardroom  was  but  five 
feet  from  the  ground.  In  front  of  it,  however, 
was  an  iron  fence,  placed  in  the  form  of  a  semi- 
circle, at  a  distance  of  about  ten  feet  from  the 
opening.  The  fence  was  higher  than  Dick's 
head,  and  the  iron  pickets  were  sharp-pointed. 

"  The  window  to  the  room  is  shut,"  an- 
nounced the  elder  Rover,  after  an  inspection  in 
the  semi-darkness.  "  It's  a  shame,  in  this  warm 
weather.  Poor  Tom  will  be  half  smothered  to 
death!" 

"  Wait  till  I  attract  his  attention,"  said  Sam. 

Catching  up  a  clod  of  grass  and  dirt  he  threw 
it  against  one  of  the  window  panes. 

A  minute  of  suspense  followed,  but  no  face 
appeared  at  the  window. 

"  That's  queer,"  said  Fred.  "  It  seems  to  me 
he  would  show  himself  if  he  was  there." 

"  Perhaps  he  can't,"  said  Sam.  "  He  may  be 
chained  up  in  the  other  end  of  the  room." 

"  I'm  going  to  make  sure,"  said  Dick  deter- 


82  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

minediy.  "  Sam  and  Fred,  both  of  you  give  me 
a  boost  up." 

"  But  how  will  you  get  back?  " 

'  You  can  give  me  another  boost  through  the 
pickets." 

"Hurrah!  so  we  can!"  cried  Sam.  "All 
right;  up  you  go!  " 

And  up  Dick  did  go,  so  rapidly  that  he  almost 
fell  over  the  top  of  the  iron  barrier. 

"  Now,  who  has  a  match?  "  he  asked. 

"  Here  you  are,"  said  Fred,  and  passed  over 
several. 

Stepping  to  the  window,  Dick  tapped  upon  it, 
and  at  the  same  time  struck  a  light,  for  the  room 
within  was  pitch-dark. 

The  next  instant  he  muttered  a  cry  of  disgust. 

"Sold!" 

"  What's  that?  "  came  from  Sam  and  Fred. 

"  The  room  is  empty." 

"  Then  there  must  be  some  mistake,"  said 
Fred.  "  Can  you  see  all  over  inside?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Sure  Tom  isn't  asleep  in  a  corner  or  on  a 
couch — if  there  is  one?  "  put  in  Sam.  "  He 
would  go  to  sleep  if  he  could." 

"  He  isn't  here — no  doubt  of  it,"  answered 
Dick,  after  striking  a  second  match  and  making 
another  inspection.  "  Oh!  v 


A   MEETING  IN   THE  MESSROOM,  83 

Dick  blew  out  the  match  in  a  hurry  and 
started  back  for  the  fence. 

He  had  seen  the  door  of  the  guardroom  open 
and  Josiah  Crabtree  come  in. 

The  head  assistant  of  Putnam  Hall  saw  the 
light  of  the  match  and  by  it  obtained  a  good 
view  of  Dick's  face. 

"  Ha!  that  youth  has  come  here  to  assist  his 
brother  to  escape!"  was  the  conclusion  he 
reached 

He  darted  for  the  window  and  threw  it  up. 

"  Come  back  here,  Master  Rover!  "  he  cried, 
as  he  saw  Dick  trying  to  mount  the  fence. 

"Don't  you  go!"  whispered  Sam,  and  tried 
to  assist  Dick  from  the  other  side,  while  Fred 
did  the  same. 

Josiah  Crabtree  would  have  leaped  from  the 
window,  but  the  bars  held  him  back. 

"  I'll  get  you  yet !  "  he  ejaculated  wrathfully, 
and,  turning,  ran  from  the  guardroom,  with  the 
intention  of  capturing  Dick  on  the  parade 
ground. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A    STRANGE    MEETING    IN   THE    WOODS. 

To  go  back  to  Tom,  at  the  time  he  was  left 
alone  by  the  head  assistant  of  Putnam  Hall,  after 
refusing  to  give  up  the  keys  to  his  satchel  and 
trunk. 

"  I've  put  my  foot  into  it  now,"  thought  the 
boy  dismally.  "  I  wonder  what  Captain  Put- 
nam will  say  to  all  this  when  he  hears  of  it?  Of 
course  old  Crabtree  will  make  out  the  worst  pos- 
sible case  against  me." 

It  was  too  dark  to  see  much,  and  he  dropped 
on  the  couch.  He  was  worried  a  good  deal,  yet 
he  was  not  one  to  take  anything  too  deeply  to 
heart. 

Before  long  a  waiter  appeared  with  a  tray  con- 
taining a  big  bowl  of  bread  and  milk.  Had 
Josiah  Crabtree  had  his  own  way,  he  would  have 
sent  only  bread  and  water  for  the  lad's  supper, 
but  such  a  proceeding  would  have  been  con- 
trary to  Captain  Putnam's  rule.  The  kind  cap- 
tain realized  that  his  pupils  were  but  boys  and 
should  not  be  treated  as  real  prisoners,  even 
when  they  did  break  the  academy  rules. 

"  Heah  is  yo'  suppah,  sah!  "  announced  Alex- 
84 


A    STRANGE  MEETING  IN   THE    WOODS.        85 

ander,  tire  waiter,-as  he  set  the  tray  on  the  table. 
"  Sorry  I  can't  leave  the  light,  sah."  He  re- 
ferred to  a  lamp,  also  on  the  tray,  which  he  now 
removed. 

"  What  have  you  got?  "  asked  Tom,  sitting 
up. 

"  Bow'  ol  bread  and  milk,  sah." 

"  Is  that  what  they  give  visitors  for  supper?  " 

"  Gracious,  sah,  is  yo'  a  visitah,  sah?  " 

"  I  consider  myself  as  such  until  I  am  placed 
on  the  muster  roll." 

At  this  Alexander  scratched  his  woolly  head. 

"  Well,  sah,  I  don't  know  nuffin  about  dat, 
sah.  I  has  to  obey  Mr.  Crabtree's  oahdahs, 
sah." 

"  Has  Captain  Putnam  come  back  yet?  " 

"  No,  sah,  an'  he  sent  word  dat  he  didn't  think 
he  could  git  back,  sah,  before  morning,  sah." 

"  Humph !  Then  I'll  have  to  stay  here  until 
that  time." 

"  I  reckon  so,  sah." 

"  It's  a  jolly  shame." 

"  Dat's  right,  sah,"  and  Alexander  grinned. 

"  Well,  leave  the  bread  and  milk.  It's  better 
than  nothing.  But  hold  on.  Who  are  you?  " 

"  Alexander  Pop,  sah,  at  yo'  service,  sah,"  and 
again  the  colored  man  grinned.  He  was  a 
short,  fat  fellow,  the  very  embodiment  of  good- 
nature. 


86  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Well,  Alexander,  if  you  are  at  my  service, 
supposing  you  get  me  something  else  to  eat  be- 
side this  bread  and  milk." 

"  Oh,  sah,  I  couldn't  do  dat." 

"  Yes,  you  could.  Here  is  a  quarter.  Don't 
you  want  to  earn  that?  " 

And  Tom  held  out  the  silver  piece. 

"  Mr.  Crabtree  would  hab  me  discharged  if  he 
cotched  me,  Master  Rober." 

"  Then  don't  let  him  catch  you,  Aleck,  my 
boy." 

At  this  the  negro  laughed  and  showed  his  im- 
mense ivories. 

"  Yo'  is  jest  de  boy  I  dun  like  to  see,  sah,"  he 
said.  "  Jess  wait  an'  I'll  do  wot  I  can  fo'  you — 
but  mum's  de  word,  sah — eh?  " 

"  I  never  peach,  Aleck;  it's  only  a  coward 
that  does  that,"  concluded  Tom. 

The  negro  disappeared  from  the  room,  but 
reappeared  in  less  than  ten  minutes  with  some- 
thing done  up  in  a  napkin. 

"  Dare  you  am,  sah,"  he  said,  "  two  tongue 
sandwiches  and  a  big  piece  of  layer  cake,  sah. — 
all  I  could  git,  fo'  Mrs.  Green  am  werry  sharp. 
And  here  is  a  bit  of  candle,  sah,  fo'  a  light.  But 
please  don't  let  'em  know  I  brought  yo'  de 
things,  sah." 

"  Never  a  word,  Aleck,  thank  you,"  answered 
Tom,  and  handed  over  the  quarter. 


A   STRANGE  MEETING  IN  THE    WOODS.        87 

Left  again  to  himself,  Tom  lost  no  time  in 
making  way,  not  only  with  the  sandwiches  and 
cake,  but  also  some  of  the  bread  and  milk,  for 
his  day's  traveling  had  left  him  tremendously 
hungry.  The  bit  of  candle  was  less  than  two 
inches  long,  and  began  to  splutter  just  as  the 
meal  was  finished. 

A  rattle  at  the  door  caused  the  lad  to  sweep 
the  cake  crumbs  out  o*f  sight,  blow  out  the 
candle,  and  pocket  the  tiny  bit  left.  Then  the 
light  of  a  lamp  lit  up  the  guardroom,  and  Josiah 
Crabtree  came  in. 

"  Well,  Rover,  have  you  enjoyed  your  sup- 
per? "  he  asked  coldly,  as  he  glanced  at  the  half- 
empty  bowl. 

"  Very  much,"  was  the  youth's  equally  cold 
reply. 

"  You  like  bread  and  milk,  then,"  was  Crab- 
tree's  sarcastic  rejoinder. 

"  Nothing  better,  sir,  for  supper." 

The  head  assistant  bit  his  lip,  and  then  set 
down  the  lamp. 

"  Rover,  don't  you  think  you  are  making  a 
bad  beginning?  "  he  said  after  a  pause. 

"  I  don't  understand  you,  Mr.  Crabtree." 

"  Any  other  boy  on  joining  a  school  would 
wish  to  make  his  entrance  as  creditable  as  pos- 
sible." 

"  But  I  haven't  joined  this  school  yet." 


88  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  We  won't  argue  that  point." 

"  I  wasn't  even  on  your  grounds,  but  in  the 
public  highway — and  there  shot  off — what?  A 
simple  firecracker.  And  for  that  you  hauled  me 
to  this  place,  and  treat  me  like  one  who  has 
broken  half  the  laws  of  the  land.  If  Captain 
Putnam  upholds  you  in  this  matter,  do  you 
know  what  I  shall  do?  " 

"  Make  an  additional  fool  of  yourself,  I  pre- 
sume." 

"  I  shall  write  home  to  my  guardian  that  I  do 
not  consider  Putnam  Hall  a  proper  boarding 
academy  for  any  boy,  and  that  I  want  to  be  put 
somewhere  else." 

At  these  outspoken  words  Josiah  Crabtree 
grew  pale.  His  great  unpopularity  was  already 
having  its  effect  upon  Captain  Putnam,  and 
he  was  afraid  that  if  he  should  be  the  means 
of  losing  a  pupil  it  might  cost  him  his  place,  as 
much  as  he  knew  that  the  captain  did  not  favor 
changes  in  his  staff  of  instructors. 

"  Don't  be  unreasonable,  my  lad,"  he  said,  but 
his  tone  was  much  milder  than  before. 

"  I  don't  think  I  am  unreasonable." 

"  The  road  is  one  belonging  to  this  institu- 
tion— in  brief,  a  private  road.  You  became  a 
pupil  here  when  you  entered  our  carriage,  that 
which  brought  you  here." 

"  Does  everybody  who  rides  in  that  carriage 


A   STRANGE  MEETING  IN  THE    WOODS.        89 

become  a  Putnam  Hall  pupil? "  demanded 
Tom. 

He  saw  that  he  was  worrying  Crabtree,  and 
resolved  to  keep  it  up. 

"  Well — er — we  won't  argue  that  point." 

"  Then  supposing  we  don't  argue  anything 
until  Captain  Putnam  comes  back?  In  the 
meantime  if  you  will  release  me  I'll  go  to  Cedar- 
ville  and  put  up  at  the  hotel  for  the  night." 

"  I  shall  not  release  you." 

"  All  right,  then.  But  if  my  guardian  takes 
me  away,  mark  my  words,  you  shall  stand  a  per- 
sonal lawsuit  for  having  locked  me  up  here  with- 
out having  any  right  to  do  so." 

"  Why — er — this  to  me — me,  the  head  assist- 
ant here?  "  screamed  Josiah  Crabtree. 

In  his  rage  he  ran  over  to  Tom  and  caught 
him  by  the  ear. 

He  had  scarcely  done  so  than  Tom  put  out 
one  foot,  gave  the  teacher  a  shove,  and  down 
went  Crabtree  flat  on  his  back. 

"  You  villain! "  gasped  the  head  assistant,  as 
he  scrambled  to  his  feet. 

"  Don't  you  pinch  my  ear  again,"  retorted 
Tom. 

The  door  was  open,  and  before  Crabtree  could 
stop  him  he  ran  out  into  the  hallway. 

"Hold  on!" 

"Not  much!" 


90  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  It  will  be  the  worse  for  you!  " 

"  I'll  risk  that." 

"Stop  him,  somebody!"  screamed  JosiaK 
Crabtree  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

Without  waiting,  Tom  ran  down  the  hallway. 
He  knew  not  where  he  was  going,  and,  coming 
to  a  door,  slipped  through.  He  now  found  him- 
self in  the  rear  of  the  Hall  and  a  few  seconds  later 
ran  across  the  back  garden  and  dove  into  the 
farm  lands. 

"  Free  once  more,"  he  thought.  "  And  I 
shan't  go  back  until  I  am  certain  Captain  Put- 
nam is  on  hand  to  receive  me.  I  wonder  how 
Dick  and  Sam  are  faring?  " 

Thinking  that  his  brothers  would  soon  learn 
of  his  escape,  and  not  wishing  to  be  caught,  he 
hurried  on  until  the  farm  lands  were  passed  and 
he  found  himself  in  a  woods. 

"  I'll  sweep  around  in  a  circle  and  make  for 
that  road  leading  to  Cedarville,"  he  concluded, 
and  trudged  on  rapidly,  for  the  woods  were  dark 
and  lonely  and  not  particularly  to  his  liking. 

Tom  had  covered  the  best  part  of  half  a  mile 
when  he  saw  a  light  ahead.  At  first  he  thought 
it  must  shine  from  the  window  of  some  farm- 
house, but  soon  made  it  out  to  be  from  a  camp- 
fire,  situated  in  something  of  a  hollow  and  not 
far  from  a  spring. 

"  Hullo! — tramps  or  charcoal   burners,"   he 


A   STRANGE  MEETING  IN    THE    WOODS.        9* 

thought.  "  I  wonder  if  they  would  be 
friendly?  " 

He  slackened  his  pace  and  approached  cau- 
tiously until  within  ten  yards  of  where  two  men 
sat  in  earnest  conversation. 

One  man  was  tall  and  thin  and  had  a  scar  on 
his  chin. 

The  other  fellow  was  the  thief  who  had 
robbed  Dick  of  his  watch. 

At  first  Tom  was  not  inclined  to  believe  the 
evidence  of  his  eyesight. 

"  Perhaps  I'm  mistaken,"  he  mused. 

He  resolved  to  draw  nearer  and  hear  if  pos- 
sible what  the  two  men  were  saying. 

A  clump  of  bushes  grew  close  to  the  spring 
before  mentioned,  and  he  crawled  up  behind 
this,  thus  getting  within  fifteen  feet  of  the 
campfire. 

"  You  are  certain  you  saw  the  boys,  Buddy?  " 
he  heard  the  tall  man  with  the  scar  say. 

"  I'm  as  sure  of  it  as  I'm  sure  your  name  is 
Arnold  Baxt " 

"  Hush,  Buddy,  how  many  times  must  I  tell 
you  that  I  want  that  name  dropped,  especially 
around  here?  " 

"  There  aint  anybody  around  here  to  hear 
us?" 

"  Well,  I  don't  want  the  name  mentioned.  I 
call  you  Buddy.  You  must  call  me  Nolly." 


92  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  All  right,  Nolly." 

"  Now,  you  are  dead  sure  you  saw  the  boys 
on  their  way  to  Putnam  Hall?  " 

"  I  am." 

"  How  much  have  you  drank  to-day?  " 

"  Only  two  glasses,  this  morning.  Oh,  it  was 
them,"  went  on  Buddy,  with  a  total  disregard 
for  grammar. 

The  tall  man  muttered  something  under  his 
breath. 

"  It's  too  bad,"  he  said  aloud. 

"  What's  too  bad?  " 

"  That  they  are  going  to  Putnam  Hall.  Still, 
I  don't  know  as  it  will  amount  to  anything. 
But  I  reckon  you  had  best  get  out  of  the  neigh- 
borhood." 

"  I'm  going  to  get  out." 

"  What  brought  you  here?  " 

"  I  wanted  to  see  you  again,  as  I  said  before." 

"  About  what?  " 

"  That  mining  deal." 

"  I  can't  do  anything  at  present." 

"  Why  not?  " 

"  There  are  some  papers  missing,  Buddy.  As 
soon  as  I  get  those  I'll  be  in  a  condition  to  go 
ahead.  You  know,  I've  got  to  move  slowly." 

"  Well,  what  brought  you  here?  " 

"  That  is  my  business." 

"  Every  few  months  or  so  you  come  up  to 


A   STRANGE  MEETING  IN   THE    WOODS.        93 

Cedarville,  Baxt — Nolly,  and  on  a  secret  mis- 
sion." 

"  Well,  who  has  a  better  right?  Come,  let  us 

talk  about  something  else.  If  you Hullo, 

what's  that?" 

Both  men  leaped  to  their  feet  as  a  sound  from 
the  bushes  back  of  the  spring  reached  their  ears. 

Tom  had  been  lying  as  quiet  as  a  mouse  when. 
a  pinching-bug,  as  they  are  commonly  called, 
had  dropped  from  one  of  the  bushes  onto  his 
neck. 

The  bug  was  as  big  as  a  walnut  shell,  and  had 
fine  nippers,  and  when  he  took  hold  of  the  skin 
Tom  could  not  help  but  make  a  slight  noise  as 
he  tried  to  throw  the  bug  off. 

Before  the  boy  could  arise  to  his  feet  the  two 
men  were  rushing  upon  him,  Buddy  with  a  stick 
and  the  tall  man  with  something  which  he  had 
drawn  from  his  pocket.  It  was  a  sand-bag,  a 
favorite  weapon  used  in  our  large  cities  by 
footpads. 


CHAPTER  X. 

SETTLING    DOWN    AT    THE    HALL. 

"  It's  a  boy!  "  cried  the  tall,  slim  man. 

"  One  of  the  boys!  "  came  from  the  tramp 
known  as  Buddy. 

"  You  don't  say!  The  tall  man  turned  to 
Tom.  How  did  you  get  here?  " 

"  Walked,"  answered  Tom  as  calmly  as  he 
could,  although  this  is  not  saying  much,  for  he 
realized  that  the  pair  before  him  were  desperate 
characters  and  that  he  was  no  match  for  them. 

"  Have  you  been  spying  on  us?  "  demanded 
the  fellow  called  Nolly. 

"  I've  been  spying  on  this  man?  "  answered 
Tom,  pointing  to  the  other  fellow.  "  He  stole 
my  brother's  watch.  What  have  you  done  with 
it?" 

"  Never  stole  a  watch  in  me  life?  "  returned 
Buddy  quickly. 

"  I  say  you  did,  and  it  will  do  no  good  to 
deny  it." 

"  If  you  say  I  stole  any  watch  I'll — I'll  knock 
yer  down,"  cried  Buddy  fiercely. 

94 


SETTLING  DOWN  AT   THE  HALL.  95 

And  he  rushed  at  Tom  and  aimed  a  blow  at 
the  boy's  head  with  his  stick. 

Nolly  also  ran  forward  with  his  sandbag;  and, 
seeing  this,  Tom  leaped  back,  and  was  soon 
making  tracks  as  fast  as  his  legs  could  carry  him. 

The  two  men  did  not  pursue  him  far.  In- 
stead, they  turned  and  ran  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion. 

Tom  hurried  on  until  he  came  within  sight  of 
a  large  farmhouse.  Reaching  the  front  door,  he 
used  the  brass  knocker  vigorously. 

Soon  an  upper  window  was  raised,  and 
the  head  of  a  middle-aged  man  was  thrust 
out. 

"  Who  is  there?  "  he  demanded. 

"  I  want  help,  sir,"  answered  Tom.  "  I  am  a 
pupil  at  Putnam  Hall,  and  I  have  just  spotted  a 
fellow  in  this  neighborhood  who  robbed  my 
brother  of  a  gold  watch." 

"Is  that  so!" 

"  Oh,  papa,  is  it  one  of  the  boys  Grace  and  I 
were  telling  you  about?  "  came  in  the  voice  of 
Nellie  Laning.  "  Aren't  you  Tom  Rover?  " 

"  Yes.     This  must  be  Mr.  Laning." 

"  Yes,  my  boy,  I  am  John  Laning,"  answered 
the  farmer.  "  I  will  be  down  in  a  moment. 
We  are  in  the  habit  of  retiring  early." 

In  a  few  minutes  Tom  was  let  into  the  house, 
and  he  told  his  story  to  John  Laning,  his  wife, 


g6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

and  the  two  girls,  all  of  whom  listened  with 
interest. 

Then  a  hired  man  was  aroused,  and  the  two 
men  and  the  boy  hurried  to  where  the  campfire 
had  been  located. 

But,  as  stated  before,  Buddy  and  Nolly  had 
made  good  use  of  their  time,  and  no  trace  of 
them  was  to  be  found. 

"  They  have  skipped  out,"  said  Mr.  Laning. 
"  To  look  for  them  will  be  worse  than  looking 
for  spiders  in  a  corn  stack.  I  suppose  you'll  be 
getting  back  to  Putnam  Hall  now?  " 

"  If  it  is  all  the  same,  I  would  like  to  engage  a 
room  at  your  farmhouse  for  the  night,"  an- 
swered Tom,  and  told  his  tale. 

At  the  mention  of  Josiah  Crabtree's  name 
John  Lan ing's  face  grew  dark. 

"  I  don't  wonder  you  had  a  row  with  that 
man,"  he  said.  "  I  know  him  only  too  well. 
You  can  stay  at  my  house  if  you  will,  and  it  shall 
not  cost  you  a  cent." 

"  Hullo,  here  is  luck!  "  thought  Tom,  and 
thanked  the  farmer  for  his  offer. 

When  they  got  back  to  the  farmhouse  Tom's 
story  had  to  be  told  to  Grace  and  Nellie,  while 
Mrs.  Laning  went  off  to  prepare  a  room  for  the 
youth. 

"  Oh,  Josiah  Crabtree!  "  cried  Nellie.    "  Why, 


SETTLING  DOWN  AT   THE  HALL.  97 

don't  you  know  he  is  trying-  to  court  our  Aunt 
Lucy?  " 

"  Your  Aunt  Lucy?     Who  is  she?  " 

"  Dora  Stanhope's  mother.  Dora's  father  is 
dead,  you  know." 

"  Great  Caesar!  "  burst  from  Tom;  "  I  hope 
Dora  never  gets  him  for  a  stepfather!  " 

"  So  do  all  of  us,  Tom;  but  I'm  afraid  he  has 
made  quite  an  impression  on  Aunt  Lucy.  She 
is  rich;  and  my  own  idea  is  that  Josiah  Crab  tree 
is  after  her  money." 

w  He's  none  too  good  for  it,"  was  Tom's  blunt 
comment. 

The  girls  and  the  lad  chatted  together  for  half 
an  hour,  and  then  all  retired  for  the  balance  of 
the  night. 

"  They're  awfully  sweet,"  thought  the  boy— 
"  these  two,  and  Dora  too." 

He  slept  soundly,  and  did  not  arise  until  after 
seven.  On  coming  below  he  found  a  hot  break- 
fast awaiting  him,  to  which  it  is  perhaps  need- 
less to  state  he  did  full  justice. 

While  he  was  talking  to  the  girls,  and  fin- 
ishing up  at  ,the  same  time,  Mr.  Laning 
came  in. 

'  Thought  I  would  tell  you  that  Captain  Put- 
nam just  drove  down  the  Hall  road  on  his  way 
to  the  school,"  he  announced. 

"  Then  I'll  get  back  at  once,"  said  Tom,  and 


98  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

bade  the  various  members  of  the  family  good-by. 
"  Hope  we  meet  again  soon,"  he  whispered  to 
the  girls,  and  this  made  both  blush. 

Mr.  Laning  would  have  driven  the  lad  to  the 
academy,  but  Tom  declined  the  offer  and  set  off 
on  foot.  It  did  not  take  him  long  to  cover  the 
distance,  and  he  entered  the  grounds  as  uncon- 
cernedly as  though  nothing  out  of  the  ordinary 
had  happened. 

"  Hullo!  "  cried  several  cadets  as  they  noticed 
him.  "  Where  did  you  come  from?  Mr.  Crab- 
tree  has  been  looking  all  over  for  you." 

"  I  don't  wish  to  see  him.  I  wish  to  see  Cap- 
tain Putnam?  Where  is  he?  " 

"  Gracious,  but  you're  a  cool  one!  "  remarked 
one  of  the  cadets.  "  The  captain  is  in  his  office, 
I  think." 

"  Will  you  please  show  me  to  the  place?  " 

"  Certainly." 

The  office  was  a  finely  furnished  apartment 
just  off  the  main  classroom.  Tom  knocked  on 
the  door. 

"  Come  in,"  said  a  cheery  voice,  and  the  boy 
entered — to  find  himself  confronted  not  only  by 
Captain  Putnam,  but  likewise  by  Josiah  Crab- 
tree. 

"Ha!  here  is  the  young  reprobate  now!" 
cried  Crabtree,  as,  rushing  up,  he  grasped  Tom 
by  the  arm. 


SETTLING  DOWN  AT   THE  HALL.  99 

"  You  will  kindly  let  go  of  my  arm,  Mr.  Crab- 
tree,"  said  Tom  steadily. 

"  You  shan't  run  away  again!  " 

"  That's  true — now  Captain  Putnam  is 
here." 

"  So  this  is  Thomas  Rover,"  said  Captain  Vic- 
tor Putnam,  with  something  like  a  twinkle  in  his 
clear  eyes.  "  Rover,  I  have  heard  a  rather 
serious  report  about  you  and  your  brother 
Richard." 

"  What  kind  of  a  report,  if  I  may  ask,  sir?  " 

"  Mr.  Crabtree  says  you  have  been  impudent 
to  him,  and  that  when  he  locked  you  in  the 
guardroom  for  breaking  the  rules  you  attacked 
him  and  knocked  him  down." 

"  He  attacked  me  first.  If  anybody  attacked 
you,  wouldn't  you  be  apt  to  knock  him  down — 
if  you  could?  " 

"  That  would  depend  upon  circumstances, 
Rover.  If  a  man  attacked  me  on  the  street  I 
would  certainly  endeavor  to  defend  myself  to  the 
best  of  my  ability.  But  you  must  remember 
that  you  are  a  pupil  here,  and  Mr.  Crabtree  is 
one  of  your  masters,  appointed  by  me." 

"  I  am  not  a  pupil  yet,  sir — although  I  hope 
to  be  very  soon." 

"  Why,  what  do  you  mean?  "  demanded  Vic- 
tor Putnam,  and  now  his  voice  grew  stern. 
Many  a  boy  would  have  flinched,  but  Tom  had 


100  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

determined  to  say  just  what  he  thought  of  CratK 
tree,  and  he  stood  his  ground. 

"  I  mean  just  this,  Captain  Putnam.  I  came 
to  Putnam  Hall  with  the  best  intention  in  the 
world  of  doing  my  duty  as  a  pupil  and  becoming 
a  credit  to  your  institution.  I  hadn't  a  thought 
of  breaking  a  rule  or  being  impudent.  Before  I 
entered  your  grounds  I  thought  of  a  big  fire- 
cracker I  had  in  my  pocket,  and  just  for  the  fun 
of  the  thing  set  the  cracker  off,  as  a  sort  of  fare- 
well to  the  outdoor  life  so  soon  to  be  left  be- 
hind." 

"  Captain  Putnam,  are  you  going  to  listen  to 
such  tomfoolery?  "  interrupted  Josiah  Crabtree. 

"  I  believe  I  have  a  right  to  tell  my  story,"  an- 
swered Tom.  "  Unless  that  right  is  granted,  I 
shall  leave  the  Hall,  go  back  to  my  guardian,  and 
tell  him  that  I  refuse  to  become  a  pupil  here." 

"  You  are  a  pupil  already,"  snarled  Crabtree. 

"  I  am  not — and  that  is  just  the  point  I  am 
trying  to  make,"  went  on  Tom  to  the  owner  of 
Putnam  Hall.  "  As  soon  as  the  firecracker 
went  off,  this  man  rushed  up  and  demanded  an 
explanation.  He  was  going  to  lock  up  my 
brother  first,  but  I  said  I  had  fired  the  cracker, 
and  so  he  compelled  me  to  go  to  the  guardroom 
with  him.  I  was  locked  in  and  treated  to  bread 
and  milk  for  supper,  and  he  wanted  to  steal  the 
keys  of  my  trunk  and  valise  from  me." 


SETTLING  DOWN  AT  THE  HALL.  IOI 

"  Steal !  "  ejaculated  Josiah  Crabtree. 

"  That  is  what  it  amounted  to,  for  the  keys 
and  boxes  are  my  property." 

"  Mr.  Crabtree  merely  wanted  to  see  that 
your  baggage  contained  nothing  improper/'  put 
in  Captain  Putnam.  "  There  are  certain  things 
we  do  not  allow  boys  to  bring  into  the  institu- 
tion." 

"  Then  he  had  a  right  to  keep  my  baggage 
out  until  I  was  properly  enrolled  as  a  pupil.  I 
did  not  bring  in  the  trunk  and  bag  myself." 

At  this  Captain  Putnam  began  to  smile. 

"  I  see  the  point  you  are  trying  to  make, 
Rover.  You  are  trying  to  prove  that  you  were 
placed  under  arrest,  so  to  speak,  before  you  were 
under  our  authority  here." 

"  Exactly.  I  will  leave  it  to  you,  Captain 
Putnam,  if  I  was  really  a  pupil  when  Mr.  Crab- 
tree  hauled  me  off  to  the  guardroom?  " 

At  this  plain  question  the  face  of  the  owner  of 
the  Hall  became  a  study. 

"  You  make  a  very  fine  distinction,  Rover/* 
he  answered  slowly. 

"  Perhaps  so,  sir;  and  I  do  it  because  I  want  to 
begin  right  here.  If  I  am  to  be  handicapped  at 
the  start  of  my  career,  what  is  the  use  of  my  try- 
ing to  make  a  record  for  myself?  "  and  Tom 
looked  the  master  of  Putnam  Hall  full  in  the 
face. 


102  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

Without  a  word  Captain  Putnam  held  out  his 
hand.  "  Thomas,  you  have  considerable  spirit, 
but  I  think  your  heart  is  in  the  right  place,  and 
I  am  willing  to  try  you.  Supposing  you  enroll 
as  a  pupil  now,  and  we  let  bygones  be  by- 
gones? " 

"  With  all  my  heart,  sir!  "  cried  Tom,  glad  to 
have  the  whole  affair  settled  so  easily. 

"  Why,  are  you  going  to  let  the — the  young 
rascal  go? "  demanded  Josiah  Crabtree,  in 
amazement. 

"  I'm  not  a  rascal,  Mr.  Crabtree." 

"  Yes,  you  are!  " 

"  Mr.  Crabtree,  I  have  decided  to  drop  the 
matter,"  put  in  Captain  Putnam,  in  a  tone  which 
admitted  of  no  dispute,  and  the  head  assistant 
fell  back  abashed.  "  Rover  says  he  wishes  to 
make  a  record  for  himself,  and  I  am  inclined  to 
help  him.  He  starts  his  term  free  and  clear  of 
all  charges  against  him — and  his  brother  whom 
you  have  locked  up  shall  do  likewise.  Kindly 
call  Mr.  Strong." 

"  It  is  a — a  most  unusual  proceeding,'* 
growled  the  head  assistant. 

"  Perhaps;  but  we  will  talk  that  matter  over 
at  another  time." 

Josiah  Crabtree  went  out;  and  in  a  minute 
George  Strong  appeared,  and  Tom  was  turned 
over  to  him,  to  sign  the  roll  of  the  academy  and 


SETTLING  DOWN  AT   THE  HALL.  103 

to  join  Sam,  Fred,  and  the  others  in  the  class- 
room over  which  Mr.  Strong  presided. 

"  Hullo,  you're  back,"  whispered  Sam,  but  no 
more  could  be  said  until  recess,  when  Tom  told 
his  story  in  detail.  In  the  meantime  Dick  was 
released. 

"  So  you  met  the  fellow  who  stole  my 
watch!  "  cried  the  elder  brother.  "  I  wish  you 
had  got  the  timepiece." 

"  So  do  I,  Dick." 

Dick  had  been  captured  by  Josiah  Crabtree 
just  as  he  was  vaulting  the  iron  fence  around  the 
guardroom  window.  The  head  assistant  had 
locked  him  up  in  the  apartment  Tom  had  occu- 
pied, and  there  Dick  had  remained  all  night. 

"  Oh,  Crabtree  is  a — a  terror!  "  said  Dick, 
later  on.  "  I  hope  Dora  Stanhope's  mother 
never  marries  him." 

"  I'll  wager  neither  of  you  have  heard  the  last 
of  Crabtree,  even  if  we  are  not  in  his  classes," 
remarked  Sam.  "  He  will  watch  for  a  chance 
to  get  even,  mark  my  words." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it,  Sam,"  answered  Tom. 
"  But  let  him  come  on.  I  intend  to  do  my  duty 
as  a  cadet,  and  I  am  not  afraid  of  him." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A    ROW    IN    THE    GYMNASIUM. 

For  several  days  matters  moved  along 
smoothly  with  the  Rover  boys.  In  that  time 
their  chums,  Frank  Harrington  and  Larry- 
Colby,  arrived,  and  these,  with  Fred,  made  up 
the  Metropolitan  Sextet,  as  they  called  them- 
selves— the  sole  occupants  of  dormitory  No.  6. 

Next  to  this  dormitory  was  apartment  five, 
occupied  by  Dan  Baxter,  Mumps,  and  six  others 
of  the  bully's  cronies.  The  two  apartments  were 
connected  by  a  door,  but  this  was  nailed  up. 

So  far  there  had  been  no  open  rupture  be- 
tween Baxter  and  Dick,  but  there  was  trouble 
"  in  the  air,"  and  it  was  bound  to  reach  a  climax 
sooner  or  later. 

Fortunately  for  Dick  and  his  brothers,  Cap- 
tain Putnam  had  had  cadet  uniforms  to  fit  them, 
and  the  three  were  now  dressed  in  true  military 
style.  The  other  boys  had  to  wait  until  uni- 
forms could  be  made  for  them. 

The  first  day  at  Putnam  Hall  was  spent  in 
assigning  the  newcomers  to  the  various  classes, 


A   ROW  IN   THE   GYMNASIUM.  105 

according-  to  their  knowledge.  On  the  second 
day  the  three  Rover  boys  were  placed  in  the 
awkward  squad,  to  learn  the  military  drill. 

The  squad  was  presided  over  by  Corporal 
Mark  King-,  a  youth  who  was  cut  out  to  be  a 
soldier,  although  his  father  was  a  sea  captain. 

"Now  then,  line  up!"  he  called  out  to  the 
newcomers.  "  All  of  you  will  please  toe  that 
crack  in  the  floor;  now  turn  out  your  toes 
like  this,  and  put  your  shoulders  back,  hands 
with  the  palms  to  the  front." 

His  instructions  were  followed  to  the  letter, 
for  all  were  anxious  to  learn  as  fast  as  possible. 

"  Now  the  first  thing  to  remember  is  to  say 
nothing,  but  obey  orders  promptly,"  exclaimed 
the  corporal.  "  When  an  order  is  given  the 
first  part  is  a  warning,  while  the  conclusion  is  the 
time  when  that  order  must  be  executed.  For 
instance,  I  tell  you  '  Eyes  right ! '  I  say  '  Eyes/ 
and  you  get  ready  to  move  your  eyes;  I  add 
'  Right/  and  you  instantly  turn  them  to  the 
right,  and  keep  them  there.  Now  we'll  try  it: 
Eyes — right!  Great  smoke!  number  four,  you 
turned  them  to  the  left!  Now  again:  Eyes — 
right!  Good!  Eyes — front!  That's  first-class. 
Now:  Eyes — left!  Eyes — front!  That  couldn't 
be  better." 

And  so  it  went  on  for  an  hour,  during  which 
the  boys  learned  not  alone  how  to  use  their 


106  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

optics,  but  also  to  "  left  face,"  "  right  face,** 
"  front  face,"  and  "  about  face  " — that  is,  to  turn 
directly  to  the  rear.  Then  they  learned  how  to 
"  mark  time  "  with  their  feet,  starting  with  the 
left  foot. 

"  To-morrow  you  shall  learn  how  to  march," 
said  Corporal  King  when  the  drilling  was  over. 
"  And  then  each  of  you  will  get  a  gun  and  go 
through  the  manual  of  arms." 

"  Will  we  learn  how  to  shoot?  "  asked  Tom. 
"  I  can  shoot  a  little  already." 

"  We  have  target  practice  once  a  month,  and 
during  the  annual  encampment,"  concluded  the 
corporal. 

"  I  wish  that  encampment  was  already  at 
hand!"  sighed  Sam.  He  imagined  that  life 
under  a  tent  would  just  suit  him.. 

As  soon  as  the  boys  "  got  the  run  "  of  the  in- 
stitution they  began  to>  feel  at  home.  They 
made  friends  rapidly,  especially  when  it  became 
known  that  Sam  was  a  fine  runner  and  Tom  a 
capital  baseball  player.  There  were  several 
baseball  teams  in  the  school,  and  they  frequently 
played  matches  on  Saturday  afternoons. 

The  gymnasium  pleased  Dick  as  much  as  it 
did  his  younger  brothers,  and  nearly  every  day 
he  spent  a  quarter  of  an  hour  or  more  in  the 
building,  using  one  apparatus  or  another,  for  the 
building  was  fitted  up  with  rings,  parallel  bars, 


A   ROW  IN  THE  GYMNASIUM.  107 

wooden  horses,  pulling  machines,  and  other 
paraphernalia  of  athletic  usage. 

One  afternoon  Dick  had  just  begun  to  use  a 
set  of  parallel  bars  when  Dan  Baxter  sauntered 
in,  accompanied  by  Mumps  and  two  other 
cronies. 

There  were  very  few  cadets  in  the  building-  at 
the  time,  and  Baxter  came  directly  to  Dick. 

"  I  guess  we  can  settle  that  little  affa;r  now/' 
muttered  the  bully,  and  slapped  Dick  on  the 
cheek.  "  That  for  interfering  with  my  doing  on 
the  boat." 

Being  on  the  bars,  Dick  could  not  ward  off 
the  blow,  but  he  immediately  sprang  down, 
and  with  flushed  cheeks  leaped  in  front  of 
Baxter. 

"  You  seem  very  anxious  to  fight,"  he  said  in 
a  low,  steady  voice.  "  You  can,  therefore,  take 
that  for  a  starter!  "  And  hauling  off  with  his 
right  fist,  he  struck  Dan  Baxter  fairly  and 
squarely  upon  the  nose,  causing  the  blood  to 
spurt  and  sending  the  bully  to  the  floor  like  a 
shot. 

If  ever  there  was  an  individual  taken  by  sur- 
prise it  was  the  bully  of  Putnam  Hall.  He  had 
not  anticipated  such  a  sudden  and  determined 
resistance,  and  for  several  seconds  he  lay  still, 
too  dazed  to  move.  In  the  meantime  his  friends 
sprang  forward,  but  Dick  waved  them  off. 


108  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  My  fight  is  with  Baxter,"  he  said.  "  I  want 
you  to  keep  your  hands  out  of  it." 

"  You  hit  him  when  he  wasn't  prepared," 
blustered  Mumps. 

"  And  he  hit  me  when  I  was  not  prepared. 
Stand  back!" 

And  Dick  made  such  a  show  of  being  ready  to 
attack  Mumps  that  the  toady  fell  back  in  great 
alarm. 

In  the  meanwhile  Dan  Baxter  arose,  and  tried 
to  stop  the  flow  of  blood  with  his  handkerchief. 
"  I'll  get  even  with  you,  Rover!  "  he  growled  be- 
hind the  stained  cloth. 

"  At  any  time  you  please,  Baxter,"  returned 
Dick.  "  But  don't  you  take  me  off  my  guard 
again,  or  I'll  have  no  mercy  on  you." 

"  Do  you  dare  to  meet  me  in  a  fair,  standing- 
up  fight?  "  demanded  the  bully. 

"  I  certainly  do." 

"  All  right,  then.  Next  Saturday  after- 
noon at  three." 

Dick  bowed.     "  Where?  "  he  questioned. 

"  In  the  patch  of  woods  behind  the  cornfield." 

"  All  right." 

"  Mum  is  the  word,  fellows,"  said  Baxter  to 
his  cronies.  "  You  will  keep  this  to  yourself, 
Rover,  won't  you?  " 

"  How  many  do  you  expect  to  bring  to  the 
fight?" 


A   ROW  IN   THE   GYMNASIUM.  I ©9 

"  Only  the  four  fellows  who  are  here." 
"  Very  well;  I  will  bring  a  like  number." 
"  Want  to  tell  everybody,  don't  you?  " 
"  No,  but  I  think  I  am  entitled  to  fair  play; 
and  that  means  that  I  must  have  as  many  friends 
there  as  you  have." 

"  All  right,"  grumbled  Baxter,  but  he  evi- 
dently did  not  like  the  arrangement.  A  mo- 
ment later  he  hurried  off,  to  do  what  he  could  to 
prevent  his  nose  from  swelling. 

Dick  told  only  his  brothers  and  his  chums  of 
what  had  occurred,  but  the  news  leaked  out  that 
a  fight  was  on,  and  Saturday  afternoon  found  at 
least  twenty  cadets  in  the  secret  and  on  their 
way  to  witness  the  "  mill,"  as  those  who  had 
read  something  about  prize-fighting  were  wont 
to  call  the  contest. 

Now,  lest  my  readers  obtain  a  false  impres- 
sion of  my  views  on  this  subject,  let  me  state 
plainly  that  I  do  not  believe  in  fights,  between 
boys  or  otherwise.  They  are  brutal,  far  from 
manly,  and  add  nothing  to  the  strength  of  one's 
character.  It  is  well  enough  to  know  how  to 
defend  one's  self  when  occasion  requires,  but 
such  occasions  occur  but  rarely. 

But  I  have  set  out  to  relate  the  adventures  of 
the  Rover  boys,  in  school  and  out,  and  on  land 
and  sea,  and  I  feel  I  must  be  truthful  and  tell 
everything  just  as  it  happened,  not  only  in  this 


110  THE  ROVER   BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

volume,  but  in  all  those  which  are  to  follow;  and, 
consequently,  I  shall  tell  of  the  fight  as  the  par- 
ticulars were  related  to  me  by  Sam  Rover,  Fred 
Garrison,  and  others — details  which  I  am  cer- 
tain are  correct. 

The  spot  was  a  sheltered  one,  and  on  the  edge 
of  the  woods  two  spies  were  posted,  to  warn  the 
contestants  should  Josiah  Crabtree  or  any  of  the 
other  teachers  appear,  for  fighting  was  against 
the  rules  of  Putnam  Hall,  and  neither  Dick  nor 
Baxter  wanted  to  be  caught. 

Both  came  to  the  spot  promptly,  and,  without 
preliminary  talking,  took  off  their  coats,  collars, 
ties,  and  caps.  A  ring  was  formed,  and  Dick 
stepped  forward  and  faced  Baxter. 

The  bully  was  several  inches  taller  than  his 
opponent  and  at  least  fifteen  pounds  heavier. 
His  nose  was  a  bit  swollen,  and  there  was  a 
sneer  upon  his  coarse  face. 

"  Rover,  if  you  wish  to  apologize  to  me  you 
can  do  so,  and  save  yourself  a  thrashing,"  he  re- 
marked. 

"  I  can  take  care  of  myself,  Baxter.  Perhaps 
you  would  like  me  to  make  a  similar  proposition 
to  you.  If  so,  let  me  say  it  is  too  late;  I  came 
here  to  give  you  a  well-deserved  thrashing,  and 
I  mean  to  stick  to  my  determination." 

"  Phew,  but  we  talk  big!  "  muttered  Mumps. 

"  You  keep  your  oar  out,  Mumps,"  put  in 


A   ROW  IN   THE   GYMNASIUM.  Ill 

Tom.  "  If  you  don't  I'll  give  you  a  hiding,  just 
as  soon  as  Dick  is  done  with  Dan." 

"Will  you?  Maybe  you'll  be  the  one  to 
catch  it,"  muttered  Mumps.  Nevertheless,  he 
said  no  more. 

"  Are  you  ready?  "  asked  the  boy  who  acted 
as  timekeeper. 

"  I  am,"  said  Dick. 

"  So  am  I,"  returned  Baxter,  and  hurled  him- 
self at  his  opponent  without  a  second's  delay. 

He  had  expected  to  catch  Dick  napping,  but 
he  found  himself  mistaken.  A  blow  aimed  at 
Dick's  face  was  well  parried,  and  in  return  Dick 
hit  Baxter  heavily  on  the  shoulder. 

"  Hurrah!  Score  one  for  Dick!  "  cried  Larry 
Colby.  "  That's  right,  old  man,  keep  at  him!  " 

"Keep  cool,  Dan!"  put  in  Mumps.  "You 
can  polish  him  off  at  your  leisure." 

The  blow  on  the  shoulder  staggered  Baxter, 
and  he  fell  back,  to  become  more  cautious;  and 
then  the  two  boys  began  to  circle  around  and 
around,  each  looking  for  a  favorable  "  opening." 
At  last  Baxter  thought  he  saw  what  he  wanted, 
and  struck  out  again,  and  Dick  was  hit  on  the 
cheek. 

"That's  the  way,  Baxter!"  came  the  cry. 
"  That  was  a  teaser!  Give  him  another!  " 

Again  Baxter  launched  out,  and  now  Dick 
was  hit  on  the  arm.  He  slipped  to  one  side,  and 


112  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

struck  out  like  lightning,  and  the  bully  caught  it 
in  the  neck,  something  which  spun  him  around 
like  a  top. 

"Another  for  Dick!"  cried  Frank  Harring- 
ton. "Keep  it  up!" 

Again  the  two  boys  faced  each  other.  But 
only  for  an  instant.  With  a  savage  cry  Baxter 
sprang  upon  Dick  as  if  to  fairly  tear  him  apart. 
One  blow  landed  upon  Dick's  arm  and  a  second 
on  his  chest. 

"It's  Baxter's  fight!" 

"  Baxter  is  still  king  of  this  school!  " 

"  You  might  as  well  give  it  up,  Rover;  he's 
too  many  for  you!  " 

So  the  cries  ran  on,  while  the  bully,  encour- 
aged by  his  success,  renewed  his  efforts;  and  an 
additional  blow  sent  Dick  to  the  ground  in  a 
heap. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FAIR    AND    FOUL    FIGHTING. 

As  Dick  went  down,  Tom  and  Sam  uttered 
cries  of  chagrin  and  horror.  The  eldest  Rover 
had  been  struck  on  the  chin,  and  the  blood  was 
flowing  from  a  deep  scratch. 

"Get  up!  get  up,  Dick!"  cried  Tom. 
"  Don't  say  you  are  beaten!  " 

"Yes,  yes;  get  up  and  go  at  him!"  added 
Sam. 

The  urging  was  unnecessary,  as  Dick  was  al- 
ready scrambling  up.  Dan  Baxter  made  a  dash 
at  him,  intending  to  strike  him  while  he  was 
down,  but  a  fierce  look  from  Tom  stopped  him. 
"  You'll  fight  fair,  Baxter,"  were  Tom's  words. 

"  Yes,  he'll  fight  fair,"  repeated  Dick,  throw- 
ing back  his  head  as  if  to  collect  himself.  "  Fel- 
low-students, Dan  Baxter  is  not  fit  to  be  a  pupil 
at  this  academy." 

"  Why  not?  "  came  in  a  chorus. 

"  He  is  not  fighting  me  fairly." 

"  What  do  you  mean?  "  blustered  Mumps. 

"  Don't  find  fault  because  he  knocked  you 
down,"  added  another  of  the  bully's  cronies. 


114  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  I  say  he  is  not  fighting  fair,"  repeated  Dick 
stoutly.  "  He  has  something  in  each  hand." 

At  this  unexpected  announcement  Dan  Bax- 
ter started  back  and  changed  color.  Then 
of  a  sudden  he  placed  both  hands  into  his 
trouser  pockets. 

"  He  is  putting  the  things  out  of  sight!  "  cried 
Tom,  who  saw  through  the  bully's  intentions. 
"  Come,  Baxter,  show  us  what  you  had." 

"  I  didn't  have  anything,"  growled  the  bully. 
"  If  you  say  I  had  I'll  punch  your  head  off. 
This  is  only  a  ruse  to  let  Dick  gain  time  to  get 
his  wind." 

"That's  it!"  cried  Mumps.  "Go  at  him, 
Dan,  and  finish  him!  " 

"  Baxter  daren't  turn  out  his  pockets,"  said 
Sam.  "  Do  it  if  you  dare." 

"  There  is  what  I  have  in  them,"  answered  the 
bully,  pulling  a  trunk  key  from  one  pocket  and 
some  small  change  from  the  other.  "  Perhaps 
you'll  say  I  was  fighting  with  these  in  my 
hands." 

"  Turn  the  pockets  out!  "  demanded  Dick. 

"Yes,  turn  'em  out!"  added  Fred,  and  a 
dozen  others  took  up  the  cry. 

"  I  won't  do  it,"  growled  Baxter,  but  it  was 
plain  to  see  that  he  was  growing  uneasy.  "  I'm 
a  gentleman,  and  I  can  whip  Rover  with  ease, 
and  do  it  fairly,  too!  " 


"FOUL  FIGHTING  EXPOSED." 


FAIR  AND  FOUL  FIGHTING.  «5 

While  he  was  speaking  Larry  Colby  had  come 
up  behind  him.  Ere  Baxter  could  stop  the 
movement,  Larry  pushed  his  hand  into  one  of 
the  bully's  pockets  and  turned  it  out.  A  jagged 
stone  as  big  as  a  walnut  dropped  to  the  ground, 

"There,  see  that!"  cried  Larry.  "For 
shame,  Baxter! " 

"  I  didn't  have  the  stone — you  placed  it 
there ! "  blustered  the  so-styled  king  of  the 
school. 

"  Didn't  you  though?  "  said  Fred  Garrison, 
who  had  also  come  up  behind  Baxter,  and  he 
quickly  hauled  another  stone  from  the  other 
pocket. 

"  That  is  how  he  scratched  me,"  said  Dick. 
"  I  was  sure  he  had  something  in  his  hand." 

"  It's  a  put-up  job!  "  howled  Baxter,  growing 
red  in  the  face.  "  If  you  want  to  continue  the 
fight,  come  on!  "  and  he  squared  off  again. 

"  That's  the  talk!  "  said  Mumps.  "  Let  both 
show  their  hands!  Perhaps  Rover  has  some 
stones,  too!  " 

Both  opened  their  palms,  then  doubled  up 
their  fists.  Baxter  was  the  first  to  strike  out. 
But,  as  quick  as  lightning,  Dick  dodged  the 
blow  and  landed  vigorously  upon  the  bully's 
chest.  Before  Baxter  could  recover,  Dick  struck 
out  again,  and  the  bully  caught  it  straight  in  the 
left  eye. 


Il6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Oh!  "  he  yelled  in  pain,  and  put  his  hand  up 
to  the  injured  optic,  which  began  to  grow  black 
rapidly.  Then  he  struck  out  wildly  half  a  dozen 
times.  He  was  growing  excited,  while  Dick 
was  as  calm  as  ever.  Watching  his  opportunity, 
Dick  struck  out  with  all  his  force,  and  Baxter  re- 
ceived a  crack  on  the  nose  which  caused  him  to 
fall  back  into  the  arms  of  Mumps.  As  that  nose 
had  been  struck  heavily  in  the  gymnasium,  it 
was  decidedly  tender,  and  Baxter  roared  with 
pain. 

"  Have  you  had  enough?  "  demanded  Dick, 
coming  up  to  him. 

Yes — Baxter  had  had  more  than  enough;  but 
he  did  not  wish  to  acknowledge  it.  He  made  a 
sign  to  Mumps  previously  agreed  upon,  and 
Mumps  raised  his  cap  as  a  signal  to  one  of  the 
spies  set  on  guard. 

"  Stop  the  fight!  "  cried  the  guard  instantly. 
"  Somebody  is  coming!  " 

"Nonsense — nobody  is  coming!"  said  the 
other  spy,  but  Baxter  would  not  listen  to  him. 

"  I'm  not  going  to  be  caught — I'll  finish  this 
some  other  time,"  he  said  to  Dick,  and  hurried 
away  with  Mumps  and  his  other  friends,  leaving 
Dick  the  victor  beyond  question. 

"  I  knew  you  could  do  it!  "  cried  Tom,  as  he 
fairly  hugged  his  elder  brother.  "  I'll  wager  he 
won't  bother  you  again," 


fAIR  AND  FOUL  FIGHTING.  H7 

"  No,  indeed!  "  put  in  Sam;  and. Fred  and  the 
others  said  the  same.  That  was  the  first  and 
last  time  that  Dan  Baxter  fought  any  of  them 
openly,  but  he  was  their  bitter  enemy  in  secret, 
as  we  shall  learn  in  this  and  other  volumes. 

As  soon  as  Baxter  had  retreated,  Dick  and  his 
brothers  hurried  to  a  near-by  brook,  where  the 
elder  Rover  took  a  wash,  and  tried  by  other 
means  to  remove  the  traces  of  the  contest  from 
his  person.  He  had  a  slight  swelling  on  the 
scratched  chin,  but  that  was  all,  and  inside  of  an 
hour  felt  quite  like  himself  once  more. 

With  Baxter  it  was  very  different,  and  the 
Sunday  following  he  asked  to  be  excused  from 
attending  church  services  in  the  Hall,  saying  he 
had  fallen  on  some  rocks  and  hurt  his  face.  On 
hearing  this,  Captain  Putnam  came  to  see  him. 

"  Sorry  to  hear  this,  Baxter,"  he  said.  "  Do 
you  think  you  need  a  doctor?  " 

"  No,  sir;  I'll  be  all  right  in  a  few  days." 

"Where  did  you  fall?" 

"  Down  by  the  brook,  while  we  were  playing 
tag." 

"  Indeed!  Well,  you  want  to  be  more  care- 
ful in  the  future,"  was  Captain  Putnam's  advice, 
and  then  he  left  Baxter.  If  he  suspected  any- 
thing he  did  not  let  on.  To  a  certain  extent  he 
believed  in  letting  boys  fight  out  their  own 
battles. 


Il8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

The  Rover  boys  had  come  to  Putnam  Hall  in 
the  fall,  and  now  summer  sports  were  cast  aside 
among  the  pupils,  and  football  and  hare  and 
hounds  became  the  rage. 

As  we  know,  Sam  was  an  excellent  runner, 
and  hare  and  hounds  just  suited  him. 

"  We  must  ask  the  captain  to  let  us  take  a 
long  trip  next  Saturday  afternoon,"  he  said;  and 
the  boys  went  to  the  owner  of  Putnam  Hall  in 
a  body  and  obtained  permission.  . 

It  was  decided  that  Sam  and  Fred  should  be 
the  hares,  while  Larry  Colby  was  to  be  leading 
hound.  As  Frank  Harrington  had  a  trumpet 
he  was  made  whipper-in.  Captain  Putnam  sup- 
plied the  boys  with  a  package  of  old  copying 
books,  and  these  were  cut  up  into  small  bits  and 
stuffed  into  two  pillow  cases  loaned  by  Mrs. 
Green. 

The  start  was  made  on  a  clear  but  frosty  after- 
noon. The  hares  stood  on  the  parade  ground, 
with  the  hounds,  to  the  number  of  thirty,  behind 
them.  George  Strong  had  consented  to  start 
them  off.  The  hares  were  to  be  given  three 
minutes'  start  of  the  little  scholars  and  five  min- 
utes' start  of  the  big  boys. 

"  All  ready?  "  asked  the  second  assistant  of 
Putnam  Hall,  as  he  took  out  his  watch. 

"  All  ready,"  answered  Sam  and  Fred. 

"  Then  go!  "     And  away  went  the  two  boys, 


FAIR  AND  FOUL  FIGHTING.  1 19 

Straight  for  the  cornfield,  dropping  bits  of  paper 
as  they  sped  along.  They  leaped  the  fence  in 
the  rear,  crossed  the  brook,  and  then  started 
along  a  path  leading  through  the  woods  beyond. 

"  We  mustn't  dream  of  letting  them  catch 
us,"  remarked  Sam,  as  he  ran  on,  with  Fred 
directly  behind  him.  "  I  wonder  where  this 
path  leads  to?  " 

"  The  top  of  the  mountain,  so  Mr.  Strong 
told  me.  He  said  there  was  another  path  com- 
ing down  to  the  westward." 

On  and  on  they  went  along  the  path  until 
they  came  to>  a  narrow  mountain  road.  Here 
they  met  a  farmer  carting  a  number  of  logs  in 
his  wagon,  and  stopped  him  to  ask  a  few  ques- 
tions. 

"  Yes,  that  road  will  take  you  right  up  to  the 
top,"  he  said.  "  But  you  want  to  be  careful  and 
not  make  a  wrong  turn,  or  you  may  get  lost." 

"  I'm  not  afraid  of  being  lost,"  said  Fred  with 
a  light  laugh;  and  on  they  sped  again,  as  rapidly 
as  ever,  for  Fred  was  as  good  a  runner  as  Sam, 
and  the  pair  worked  very  well  together. 

At  the  top  of  the  first  rise  of  ground  they 
came  to  a  spot  that  was  somewhat  bare,  and 
here  they  halted  to  look  back. 

"There  are  the  small  fellows!"  cried  Sam, 
pointing  with  his  finger.  "And  the  big  ones 
are  not  far  behind." 


120  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  They  are  speeding  along  in  good  shape," 
was  Fred's  comment.  "  Come  on,  before  they 
spot  us!"  And  they  hurried  up  the  next  hill. 
Here  they  encountered  a  number  of  rocks,  and 
were  brought  to  a  halt  several  times  to  deter- 
mine which  was  the  best  path  to  pursue. 

"  By  Jinks!  the  farmer  was  right — we  are  get- 
ting lost!  "  said  Sam  presently.  "  Where  is  the 
path?" 

"  I  think  it  is  to  the  right." 

"  And  I  think  it  is  to  the  left." 

At  this  both  lads  looked  at  each  other,  then 
burst  out  laughing. 

"  It  can't  be  in  both  directions,  Fred." 

"  That's  true,  and  I  am  sure  I  am  right." 

"  All  right,  we'll  try  it,"  and  they  did,  but  it 
was  a  good  ten  minutes  before  the  path  came 
into  view  again,  and  meanwhile  the  first  of  the 
hounds  drew  dangerously  close. 

But  the  game  was  by  no  means  over,  as  we 
shall  see. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

WHAT  THE  GAME  OF  HARE  AND  HOUNDS  LED  TO. 

"  What  a  glorious  view!  " 

It  was  Sam  who  uttered  the  words.  The  top 
of  the  mountain  had  been  reached  at  last,  and 
the  boys  were  feasting  their  eyes  on  the  grand 
panorama  spread  on  all  sides. 

"  How  beautiful  the  lake  looks!"  said  Fred. 
"  And  how  far  one  can  see!  " 

"  It's  a  pity  we  didn't  bring  a  pair  of  glasses 
with  us,  Fred.  But,  say,  I'm  hungry." 

"  So  am  I.  Let  us  eat  that  lunch  at  once  and 
then  start  on  the  return." 

Each  had  brought  a  sandwich  along,  and 
these  were  soon  consumed  and  washed  down 
with  a  drink  of  cold  water  from  a  spring  not  far 
away.  Then  on  they  went,  over  the  top  of  the 
mountain,  and  along  a  path  which  they  thought 
would  bring  them  around  its  western  base.  It 
was  now  four  o'clock,  leaving  them  two  hours 
in  which  to  get  back  to  Putnam  Hall. 

About  a  third  of  the  distance  down  the  moun- 
tain side  had  been  covered,  and  Sam  was  slightly 
in  advance,  when  suddenly  he  uttered  a  cry  of 
alarm. 


122  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"Lookout,  Fred!" 

"What  is  it?" 

"A  snake!" 

"Where?" 

"  Over  yonder!     And  he  is  coming  for  us! " 

Sam  was  right;  it  was  a  snake — an  angry- 
looking  reptile  all  of  six  feet  long,  and  as  thick 
as  Sam's  wrist.  It  hissed  savagely  as  it  ad- 
vanced, first  upon  Sam  and  then  upon  Fred. 

If  there  was  one  thing  which  could  fill  Fred 
Garrison  full  of  terror  it  was  a  snake,  and  the  yell 
he  gave  would  have  outmatched  that  of  an  In- 
dian on  the  warpath. 

"  Save  me!  "  he  screamed.  "  Don't  let  him 
touch  me! " 

"  Jump  back!  "  cried  Sam,  and  leaped  himself. 
Then,  seeing  a  tall  rock  handy,  he  sprang  upon 
it,  and  here  Fred  joined  him. 

Now,  it  happened  that  the  snake  had  its  home 
under  the  rock,  and  the  movement  of  the  lads 
made  it  more  angry  than  ever.  With  a  fierce 
hiss  it  came  for  the  rock  and  disappeared  under- 
neath, out  of  the  range  of  their  vision. 

"It's  gone  under  the  rock!"  panted  Fred. 
He  was  so  agitated  he  could  scarcely  speak. 

"  I  know  it,"  returned  Sam.  "  I  wonder  if  it 
means  to  crawl  up  here?  " 

"  Oh,  don't  say  that,  Sam.  I — I — can't  we 
hit  it  with  something?  " 


WHAT   THE   GAME  LED    TO.  1 3$ 

"  I  haven't  a  thing  but  the  bag  of  paper." 

"  Neither  have  I.     Oh,  what  shall  we  do?  " 

"  Perhaps  we  had  better  stay  here  until  the 
others  come  up." 

**  Do  you  think  the  snake  will  keep  quiet  that 
long?  " 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know." 

Very  much  disturbed,  the  two  boys  peered 
over  the  edge  of  the  rock.  They  were  not 
versed  in  the  different  species  of  reptiles,  and 
knew  not  but  that  the  one  at  hand  might  be 
poisonous. 

"I  see  his  tail!"  cried  Fred  with  a  shiver. 
"  He  is  moving  around  as  if  getting  ready  to 
come  out." 

"  I  wonder  if  I  can  grab  him  by  the  tail?  " 
mused  Sam. 

"Grab  him?     Oh,  Sam!" 

"  I've  heard  you  can  catch  them  by  the  tail, 
snap  them,  and  make  their  heads  fly  right  off." 

"  Gracious,  I  wouldn't  attempt  it!  " 

While  Fred  was  speaking  the  tail  of  the  snake 
came  up  on  the  side  of  the  rock. 

Setting  his  teeth,  Sam  bent  down  and  made  a 
clutch  for  the  slippery  thing,  and  caught  it 
tight. 

With  a  hiss  the  snake  raised  its  head,  its 
diamond-like  eyes  shining  like  twin  stars. 

"  You'll  be  poisoned !  "  shrieked  Fred,  when, 


124  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

whack !  Sam  gave  the  body  of  the  reptile  a  swing 
and  brought  the  head  down  with  great  force  on 
the  edge  of  the  rock. 

One  blow  was  enough,  for  the  head  was 
mashed  flat.  Then  Sam  threw  the  body  into 
the  bushes,  there  to  quiver  and  twist  for  several 
hours  to  come,  although  life  was  extinct. 

Fred  was  as  white  as  a  sheet  as  he  leaped  to 
the  ground.  "  I  couldn't  have  done  that  for  a 
million  dollars!  "  he  declared.  "  What  a  splen- 
did nerve  you  have,  Sam!  " 

"  My  father  told  me  how  to  catch  a  snake  in 
that  way,"  exclaimed  Sam.  "  But  hurry,  or  the 
hounds  will  overtake  us.  I  can  hear  them  com- 
ing." 

"  Your  father  must  have  been  equally  brave, 
then,"  answered  Fred,  as  they  started  off  on  a 
run.  "  By  the  way,  have  you  heard  anything  of 
him  yet?" 

"  Not  a  word,  Fred." 

"  Don't  it  make  you  feel  bad  at  times?  " 

"  Does  it,  Fred !  Why,  some  nights  I  can't 
go  to  sleep  for  thinking  of  where  he  may  be — 
dead  in  the  heart  of  Africa,  or  perhaps  a  captive 
of  some  savage  tribe." 

"  Have  they  ever  hunted  for  him?  " 

"  Several  have  gone  out,  but  no  traces  are  to 
be  had.  Dick,  Tom,  and  I  are  goin  to  hunt  for 
him,  though,  as  soon  as  our  Uncle  Randolph 
will  permit  it." 


WHAT   THE   GAME  LED    TO.  125 

"  That's  an  idea.  But  you  may  have  to  go 
right  into  the  jungles  for  him." 

"  I  don't  care  if  we  have  to  go  to  the  top  of 
the  North  Pole,  if  only  we  find  him,"  answered 
Sam  with  quiet  determination. 

Inside  of  half  an  hour  the  bottom  of  the 
mountain  was  gained,  and  then  they  struck  out 
along  a  road  which  presently  took  them  within 
sight  of  the  Stanhope  homestead. 

"  I  wonder  if  we  have  time  to  call  on  Dora?  " 
mused  Fred.  "  It  would  be  a  scheme  to  leave 
our  paper  trail  right  through  their  garden." 

"Glorious!"  burst  from  Sam,  caught  by  the 
idea.  "  I  am  certain  Dora  Stanhope  will  appre- 
ciate the  sport." 

It  did  not  take  them  long  to  reach  the  garden 
around  the  farmhouse;  and,  running  up  the 
path,  they  ascended  a  side  porch. 

As  they  did  so  two  forms  appeared  around 
the  house.  One  was  Mrs.  Stanhope,  wearing  a 
shawl  over  her  shoulders  and  a  bonnet  on  her 
head,  and  the  second  was — Josiah  Crabtree! 

"Old  Crabtree!"  murmured  Sam,  and  then 
of  a  sudden  he  pulled  Fred  out  of  sight  behind 
some  lattice-work  inclosing  one  end  of  the 
porch. 

"  We  must  hurry,  my  dear,  or  we  may  be  too 
late,"  Josiah  Crabtree  was  saying;  and  now  the 
boys  noted  that  he  was  conducting  the  lady  to- 
ward a  carriage  standing  by  the  horse  block. 


126  THE  ROVER   BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  I — I — had  we  not  better  wait  until  next 
week,  Josiah?"  questioned  Mrs.  Stanhope 
timidly.  She  was  a  pale,  delicate  woman  of 
forty,  of  a  shrinking  nature,  easily  led  by  others. 

"  No,  my  dear,  there  is  no  use  in  waiting." 

"  But  Dora " 

"  You  must  not  mind  what  your  daughter 
says,  my  dear.  When  we  are  married  she  will 
easily  become  reconciled  to  the  change,  mark 
my  words." 

"  Gracious,  old  Crabtree  is  going  to  marry 
her!  "  whispered  Sam.  "  Poor  Dora!  " 

"  She  wants  me  to  wait,"  continued  the  lady. 

"  And  you  ought  to  wait,  mother,"  came  in 
Dora's  voice;  and  now  she  too  came  into  sight, 
but  without  a  hat  or  wraps. 

"  Mr.  Crabtree  wishes  very  much  to  have  the 
ceremony  performed  this  afternoon,  Dora  dear." 

"  If  he  wants  to  marry  you,  why  can't  he  do  it 
openly — at  home  or  in  our  church?  " 

"  He  is  averse  to  any  display." 

"  It  seems  to  me  it  is  a  very  sneaking  way  to 
do,"  answered  Dora  coldly.  "  When  you  and 
papa  were  married  the  wedding  was  well  at- 
tended, so  I  have  been  told." 

"  Your  father  and  myself  are  different  per- 
sons, Miss  Dora,"  interrupted  Josiah  Crabtree 
stiffly.  "  I  prefer  a  quiet  wedding,  and  no  time 
is  better  than  the  present.  I  shall  at  once  re- 


WHAT   THE   GAME  LED    TO.  12? 

sign  my  position  at  Putnam,  Hall  and  come  to 
live  here." 

Dora  Stanhope's  lip  curled  in  scorn.  She 
saw  through  Josiah  Crabtree's  motives,  even 
though  her  mother  did  not. 

"If  you  wish  to  marry  my  mother,  why  do 
you  not  make  preparations  to  support  her?  "  she 
said. 

"Dora!"  cried  Mrs.  Stanhope  pleadingly. 

"  I  mean  what  I  say,  mother.  He  intends  to 
marry  you  and  then  make  you  support  him  out 
of  the  proceeds  of  this  farm." 

"  You  are  entirely  mistaken,"  interrupted 
Josiah  Crabtree.  "  Perhaps  you  do  not  know 
that  I  am  worth,  in  bank  stocks  and  in  bonds, 
between  twenty  and  thirty  thousand  dollars." 

"  I  would  like  to  see  the  stocks  and  bonds," 
said  the  girl. 

"  So  would  I,"  whispered  Fred  to  Sam.  "  I'll 
wager  he  isn't  worth  a  thousand  dollars  all  told 
— although  they  say  he  is  a  good  deal  of  a 
miser." 

"  Dora,  do  not  insult  Mr.  Crabtree.  If  you 
wish  to  come  along  and  see  the  ceremony  per- 
formed, put  on  your  things." 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  go." 

"  Very  well,  then;  you  had  best  return  to  the 
house." 

"  It  is  a  shame!  "  cried  the  girl,  and  burst  into 
tears. 


128  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  We  will  be  back  by  seven  o'clock,"  said  Jo- 
siah  Crabtree,  and  led  the  widow  down  the  gar- 
den path  to  where  the  carriage  was  standing. 

"  I  wish  I  could  stop  this  wedding,"  whis- 
pered Sam  to  his  chum. 

"  I  am  with  you  on  that,"  returned  Fred. 
"  Creation,  here  come  the  hounds!  Just  the 
thing!" 

He  looked  at  Sam,  and  his  chum  instantly 
understood.  Leaving  the  porch  at  a  bound, 
they  ran  across  the  garden. 

"  Hurrah !  we  have  you !  "  yelled  Larry  Colby, 
as  he  rushed  up,  followed  by  Tom,  Dick,  and  a 
dozen  of  the  other  big  cadets. 

"  Quick,  this  way! "  cried  Sam.  "  Do  you 
see  that  carriage?  " 

"  Of  course  we  do,"  answered  Tom. 

"  It  contains  Mrs.  Stanhope  and  old  Crabtree. 
They  are  going  to  drive  off  and  get  married 
against  Dora  Stanhope's  wishes." 

"Phew!"  came  in  a  low  whistle  from  the 
eldest  of  the  Rover  Boys. 

"  We  ought  to  stop  this  affair,"  went  on  Fred. 

"  Old  Crabby  is  going  to  get  married!  "  came 
in  a  shout.  "  Come  on,  let  us  go  along!  " 

And  pell-mell  went  the  boys  after  the  carriage, 
which  had  just  turned  from  the  horse-block, 
with  the  teacher  and  Mrs.  Stanhope  inside  and  a 
farmhand  named  Borgy  on  the  front  seat. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

JOSIAH   CRABTREE  IN  DIFFICULTY. 

Dora  Stanhope  had  witnessed  the  approach 
of  the  boys,  and  now  she  came  out  into  the  gar- 
den again  and  confronted  them.  She  blushed 
prettily  upon  seeing  Dick  and  several  others 
with  whom  she  was  acquainted. 

"  I  understand  that  Mr.  Crabtree  is  about  to 
be  married,"  said  Dick  in  a  low  tone. 

"  Yes,  he  insists  on  marrying  my  mother  this 
afternoon.  He  has  been  at  her  about  this  for 
several  months,"  answered  Dora  between  her 
sobs. 

"  Evidently  you  oppose  the  marriage." 

"  I — I  hate  Mr.  Crabtree !  "  came  almost 
fiercely.  "  He  is — is  nothing  like  my  poor  dead 
papa  was! " 

"  I  believe  you,  Dora,"  answered  Dick.  "  I 
don't  see  what  your  mother  can  find  in  him  to 
like.  We  hate  him  at  the  academy." 

"  I  know  it — and  I  imagine  Captain  Putnam 
is  preparing  to  get  rid  of  him,  for  I  heard  he  was 
corresponding  with  a  teacher  in  Buffalo — one 
who  has  been  head  master  in  a  military  academy 
out  in  that  vicinity." 


I3<>  THE   ROVER   BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Indeed!  I  hope  we  do  get  clear  of  him — and 
I  wish  you  could  get  clear  of  him  too." 

"  It  doesn't  seem  as  if  I  could,"  sighed  Dora. 
"  He  has  wound  my  mother  right  around  his 
finger,  so  to  speak.  But  what  are  those  other 
boys  going  to  do?  "  And  she  pointed  to  the 
balance  of  the  cadets,  who  were  following  closely 
upon  the  wheels  of  the  carriage,  which  had 
turned  into  the  highway  leading  to  Cedarville. 

"  I'll  go  after  them  and  see,"  said  Dick,  and 
turned  to  leave.  Then  he  came  to  a  halt  and 
turned  back.  "  Dora,  I  am  awfully  sorry  for 
you,"  he  whispered.  "  If  I  can  ever  do  any- 
thing for  you,  don't  hesitate  to  call  on  me." 

"  I'll  remember  that,  Dick,"  she  replied  grate- 
fully, but  never  dreamed  of  how  much  she  would 
one  day  require  his  aid. 

When  Dick  joined  the  crowd  he  found  it  on 
all  sides  of  the  carriage,  shouting  and  hurrahing 
wildly.  At  first  Josiah  Crabtree  pretended  to 
pay  no  attention,  but  presently  he  spoke  to  the 
driver,  and  the  turnout  came  to  a  halt. 

"  Students,  what  does  this  unseemly  conduct 
mean?"  he  demanded  harshly. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Crabtree,  is  that  you!  "  exclaimed 
Frank  Harrington  in  pretended  surprise. 

"  Yes,  Harrington.  I  say,  what  does  it 
mean?  " 

"  We  are  out  playing  hare  and  hounds,  sir." 


JO  SI  AH  CRAB  TREE  IN  DIFFICULTY.        131 

"  But  you  are  following  this  carriage." 

"  Oh,  no,  sir,  we  are  following  the  paper  scent, 
sir,"  answered  Larry  Colby,  and  pointed  to  the 
bits  of  paper,  which  Fred  Harrison  was  slyly 
dropping  just  in  front  of  the  horses. 

"  Then  our  carriage  is  on  the  trail,"  sighed 
Josiah  Crabtree.  "  It  is  very  annoying." 

"  Oh,  it  doesn't  bother  us  much,  sir,"  an- 
swered Frank  coolly. 

"Bother  you!  It  is  myself  and  Mrs.  Stan- 
hope to  whom  I  referred.  Make  the  hares  take 
another  course." 

"  Can't  do  that,  sir,  until  we  catch  them." 

"  But  why  must  you  keep  so  close  to  this  car- 
riage? " 

"  I  don't  know,  sir.  Perhaps  it  is  the  carriage 
which  is  keeping  close  to  us." 

Josiah  Crabtree  looked  more  angry  than  ever. 
He  spoke  to  the  driver,  with  a  view  to  increasing 
the  speed  of  the  team,  but  Borgy  had  entered 
into  the  spirit  of  the  fun  at  hand,  and  he  was, 
moreover,  a  great  friend  of  Dora,  and  he  shook 
his  head.  "  Couldn't  do  it  sir,"  he  said.  "  I 
wouldn't  want  to  run  the  risk  of  winding  'em." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  they  cannot  outrun 
these  boys?  "  demanded  the  head  assistant  at 
Putnam  Hall. 

"  Hardly,  sir — the  lads  is  uncommonly  good 
runners,"  answered  Borgy  meekly. 


132  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"I  will  show  you  how  to  manage  them!" 
ejaculated  Josiah  Crabtree,  and  stepped  over  to 
the  front  seat. 

"  Oh,  Josiah,  be  careful !  "  pleaded  Mrs.  Stan- 
hope. 

"  I  know  how  to  drive  horses,  so  don't 
worry,"  answered  Crabtree,  and  took  up  both 
reins  and  whip.  Before  Borgy  could  stop  him 
he  had  given  one  of  the  horses  a  smart  cut  on 
the  flank. 

The  steed  was  a  spirited  one  and  not  used  to 
the  whip,  and  scarcely  had  the  lash  landed  than 
he  gave  a  wild  leap  into  the  air,  came  down,  and 
broke  into  a  mad  run,  dragging  his  mate  with 
him.  A  second  later  the  carriage  struck  a  stone, 
bounced  up,  and  Borgy  was  pitched  out,  to  land 
in  the  midst  of  some  bushes  growing  by  the 
roadside. 

The  bolting  of  the  team  proved  almost  fatal 
to  the  boys  in  front,  who  scattered  just  in  time 
to  let  horses  and  carriage  pass  them  with 
lightning-like  speed.  Then  the  cadets  gath- 
ered together  and  stared  blankly  at  one  an- 
other. 

"  It's  a  runaway !  " 

"  Serves  old  Crabby  right,  for  hitting  the 
horse!" 

"  Yes,  but  he  and  the  lady  may  be  killed !  " 

Such  were  some  of  the  cries.     As  soon  as  they 


JOSIAH  CRAB  TREE  IN  DIFFICULTY.         133 

could  recover,  the  whole  party  made  after  the 
carriage,  now  disappearing  around  a  bend. 

"  They'll  never  get  around  the  next  turn 
alive!"  said  Captain  Harry  Blossom,  who  was 
running  beside  Tom.  Soon  Dick  joined  the 
pair. 

In  the  meantime  Josiah  Crabtree  was  filled 
with  terror  over  the  sudden  turn  of  affairs.  He 
dropped  the  whip  and  tugged  first  at  one  rein 
and  then  the  ether. 

"  Whoa!  whoa!  "  he  cried  in  a  hoarse  whisper. 
"Whoa!" 

But  instead  of  slackening  their  speed,  the 
team  moved  on  faster  than  ever,  the  carriage 
rocking  violently  from  side  to  side. 

"  We  will  be  killed !  "  moaned  Mrs.  Stanhope. 
"  Oh,  why  did  I  not  take  Dora's  advice  and  have 
a  regular  wedding,  as  she  proposed!  " 

"I  will — will  stop  them!"  panted  Crabtree. 
"  Whoa,  you  brutes,  whoa!  " 

"Whoa,  Peter;  whoa,  Jack!"  added  Mrs. 
Stanhope  timidly. 

For  an  instant  the  horses  seemed  to  take  no- 
tice of  the  lady's  voice,  but  only  for  an  instant; 
then  they  went  on  as  fast  as  ever,  around  an- 
other bend,  and  down  a  rocky  stretch,  lined  on 
either  side  with  trees  and  bushes. 

Suddenly  there  came  a  crash,  as  a  wheel  came 
off  the  carriage.  Then  came  a  second  crash, 


134  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

and  Mrs.  Stanhope  was  hurled  forth  among 
some  bushes.  But  the  turnout  continued  on  its 
way,  Josiah  Crabtree  clinging  to  the  wreck,  until 
at  last  he  too  was  hurled  forth,  to  fly  up  among 
some  tree  branches  and  remain  there  for  the  best 
part  of  ten  minutes. 

When  the  crowd  of  cadets  reached  Mrs.  Stan- 
hope they  found  the  lady  unconscious  and  evi- 
dently suffering  from  a  broken  arm.  Several  of 
them,  including  Dick,  Tom,  and  Sam,  did  what 
they  could  for  her,  while  others  ran  off  to  find 
Josiah  Crabtree  and  to  summon  a  doctor. 

It  was  several  minutes  before  the  head  assist- 
ant at  Putnam  Hall  could  be  helped  out  of  the 
tree.  He  came  down  in  fear  and  trembling,  so 
overcome  he  could  scarcely  stand. 

"  How — how  is  Mrs.  Stanhope?  "  was  his  first 
question. 

"  We  don't  know,"  answered  several  of  the 
cadets,  and  Josiah  Crabtree  hobbled  back  to  find 
out. 

The  shades  of  night  had  long  fallen  when  Mrs. 
Stanhope  was  conveyed  to  her  home,  and  a  doc- 
tor was  brought  from  Cedarville  and  the  Lan- 
ings  were  informed  of  what  had  happened.  The 
doctor  said  that  a  rib  as  well  as  the  left  arm  had 
been  fractured,  and  that  the  lady  must  be  kept 
quiet  for  at  least  two  months.  At  once  Dora 
set  about  doing  what  she  could  for  her  mother, 


JOSIAH  CRAB  TREE  IN  DIFFICULTY.        135 

and  Nellie  Laning-  remained  at  the  homestead  to 
tssist  her.  No  one  seemed  to  care  about  Josiah 
Crabtree,  and  he  was  allowed  to  hobble  back  to 
Putnam  Hall  on  foot. 

"  It  was  the  fault  of  those  boys,"  he  muttered 
to  himself.  "  I'll  get  even  with  them,  see  if  I 
don't!" 

But  his  chances  of  "  getting  even  "  while  at 
the  academy  were  speedily  nipped  in  the  bud  by 
Captain  Putnam,  who  did  not  say  anything  on 
Sunday,  but  interviewed  the  head  assistant  early 
on  the  day  following. 

"  It  is  perhaps  needless  for  us  to  go  into  the 
details  of  what  has  occurred,  Mr.  Crabtree,"  said 
the  owner  of  the  Hall.  "  Your  contract  with 
me  comes  to  an  end  next  month.  I  will  pay  you 
in  full  to-morrow  and  then  I  wish  you  to  re- 
move yourself  and  your  belongings  from  this 
place." 

"  You — you  discharge  me !  "  cried  the  teacher 
in  astonishment. 

"  I  do.  I  have  long  been  dissatisfied  with 
your  conduct  toward  my  pupils,  and  I  am  now 
satisfied  that  you  are  not  worthy  of  the  position 
with  which  I  intrusted  you." 

At  this  Josiah  Crabtree's  face  fell,  for  he  had 
hoped  to  keep  his  place  at  Putnam  Hall  until  his 
marriage  to  Mrs.  Stanhope  was  assured.  Now 
there  was  no  telling  when  that  marriage  would 


I36  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL 

occur,  and  in  the  meantime  it  was  not  likely  he 
could  get  another  position. 

"  I  think  I  ought  to  have  more  notice  than 
this." 

"  You  deserve  no  notice — since  you  were 
about  to  marry  on  the  sly,  so  to  speak,  and,  most 
likely,  leave  me  when  your  contract  came  to  an 
end  without  allowing  me  time  to  make  other 
arrangements." 

"  I  would  have  given  you  at  least  two  weeks' 
time." 

"  And  I  am  giving  you  three  weeks'  pay, 
which  you  do  not  deserve.  I  do  not  think  we 
need  to  prolong  the  discussion,"  and  Captain 
Putnam  turned  away. 

The  departure  of  Josiah  Crabtree  was  hailed 
with  satisfaction  by  all  of  the  pupils  excepting 
Dan  Baxter.  Strange  to  say,  a  strong  friend- 
ship had  sprung  up  between  the  bully  and  the 
hot-tempered  school  teacher.  Baxter  was  the 
only  one  who  shook  hands  when  Crabtree  left. 

"  I  hope  we  meet  again,  Mr.  Crabtree,"  he 
said.  "  I  like  you,  even  if  the  others  don't." 

"  And  I  like  you,  Baxter,"  answered  Josiah 
Crabtree.  "  I  shall  remember  you." 

And  Josiah  Crabtree  did  remember  the  bully, 
in  a  manner  which  was  strange  in  the  extreme. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

DAN  BAXTER'S  MONEY. 

After  the  departure  of  Josiah  Crabtree  from 
Putnam  Hall,  George  Strong  became  the  lead- 
ing assistant,  and  another  teacher  named  Gar- 
more  took  second  place.  Garmore  was  a  Yale 
man,  and  soon  became  as  favorably  known  as 
Strong,  so  the  pupils  had  nothing  more  to  find 
fault  with,  so  far  as  their  instructors  went. 

As  has  been  noted  before,  tfiere  were  several 
baseball  teams  among  the  boys.  As  it  grew  too 
cold  for  baseball,  these  teams  gave  up  this  sport, 
and  a  good  number  of  the  lads  took  up  football. 

In  this  sport,  Sam,  being  a  good  runner,  felt 
very  much  at  home,  and  soon  he  was  at  the  head 
of  one  of  the  teams,  playing  center.  Tom  was 
also  on  the  team,  playing  quarterback. 

Not  far  from  Putnam  Hall  was  another 
academy  kept  by  a  certain  gentleman  named 
PornelL  The  pupils  at  Pornell's  were  also  great 
football  players,  and  one  day  they  sent  over  a 
challenge  that  the  Putnams,  as  they  were 
dubbed,  should  play  them  a  match  for  the  cham- 
pionship of  the  township  in  which  both  seats  of 
learning  were  located. 


I38  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

The  challenge  was  brought  by  Peleg  Snug- 
gers,  who  had  gone  over  to  Pornell's  on  an 
errand  for  Captain  Putnam. 

"  It's  for  you,"  said  Snuggers,  handing  the 
communication  to  Sam.  The  youthful  captain 
of  the  eleven  broke  open  the  letter  and  read  it 
aloud: 

"  PORNELL  ACADEMY,  November  18,  189—. 
"  To  the  Putnam  Hall  Football  Team:  We  here- 
by challenge  you  to  a  game  of  football  for  the 
championship  of  the  township  of  Cedarville,  the 
game  to  be  played  Thanksgiving  afternoon  next 
at  two  o'clock,  at  our  grounds  or  at  your  own, 
as  you  may  elect.  We  would  prefer  to  play  on 
our  grounds,  as  we  have  a  grandstand,  one-half 
of  which  will  be  reserved  for  your  friends,  if  you 
will  come  over. 

"  PORNELL  FOOTBALL  TEAM, 

"  Per  Harry  Ackerson,  Capt.  and  Sec'y." 

"  They  certainly  mean  business,"  said  Tom, 
who  was  in  the  crowd,  listening  to  the  reading  of 
the  challenge.  "  I  go  in  for  accepting  it." 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Larry,  who  played  halfback. 

"  And  I,"  put  in  Fred,  who  was  on  the  right 
end. 

The  members  of  the  football  team  were  all  at 
hand,  and  it  did  not  take  long  to  find  out  that 


"A  RUSH  FOR  A  TOUCHDOWN." 


DAN  BAXTER'S  MONEY.  139 

each  was  in  favor  of  the  game,  and  then  the  mat- 
ter was  laid  before  Captain  Putnam* 

"  Want  to  play  football  with  Mr.  Pornelf  s 
lads,  eh? "  smiled  the  captain.  "  All  right,  I 
know  of  no  healthier  sport,  rightly  conducted. 
You  shall  play  them,  and  on  their  grounds  if  you 
wish.  But,  mind  you,  no  neglecting  lessons  for 
the  sake  of  practicing  between  now  and  Thanks- 
giving! " 

The  pupils  promised  to  neglect  nothing,  and 
went  off  with  a  hurrah. 

Soon  Peleg  Snuggers  was  on  his  way  to  the 
rival  academy  with  the  following  answer  to  the 
challenge: 

"  PUTNAM  HALL,  November  19,  189—. 
"  Pornell  Football  Team:  We  hereby  accept 
your  challenge  to  play  a  game  of  football  for  the 
championship  of  the  township  on  Thanksgiving 
afternoon  next  at  two  o'clock.  As  you  have  a 
grandstand  we  will  play  on  your  grounds.  In 
return  for  the  use  of  half  of  your  stand  on  this 
occasion  the  senior  class  of  our  academy  will 
put  up  a  silver  cup  as  a  trophy,  said  trophy  to  go 
to  the  club  winning  the  game,  and  to  belong  to 
that  club  which  shall  during  matches  to  be  ar- 
ranged in  the  future  win  the  cup  three  times. 
"  THE  PUTNAM  HALL  FOOTBALL  TEAM, 

Per  Fred  Harrison,  Sec'y  and  Treas." 


140  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

Dick  had  suggested  giving  the  cup,  and  all  of 
the  senior  class  "  chipped  in  "  willingly,  raising 
ten  dollars,  with  which  a  very  neat  trophy  was 
secured  through  a  pupil  whose  father  was  a 
silversmith  in  New  York.  I  say  all  the  senior 
class  contributed.  I  must  correct  this.  There 
was  one  exception,  and  that  was  Dan  Baxter. 

"  I  haven't  got  anything  for  you  or  your 
brothers,"  growled  the  bully  when  Dick  spoke 
of  the  matter  before  the  class.  "  Let  'em  fur- 
nish their  own  silver  cups  if  they  want  'em." 

"  All  right,  Baxter;  I  guess  Sam  and  Tom  will 
be  just  as  well  satisfied  if  you  don't  chip  in,"  had 
been  Dick's  ready  answer.  "  I  only  wanted  to 
give  everyone  a  chance  to  own  an  equal  share 
in  the  gift,  if  it  was  desired." 

"  Our  football  team  can't  play  for  a  sour 
apple,  Dick  Rover.  They'll  be  whipped  out  of 
their  boots." 

"  If  I  was  a  betting  boy,  I'd  bet  you  a  dollar 
on  the  result,"  answered  Dick  coldly. 

"  I'll  bet  you  ten  dollars  we  win!  "  put  in  Fred 
Garrison  impulsively. 

"  I'll  cover  that  bet,"  sneered  Baxter,  and 
drew  from  his  pocket  a  roll  of  bills. 

"  Gracious,  Baxter,  where  did  you  get  the 
wad? "  questioned  several  in  chorus,  for  the 
supply  of  pocket  money  among  most  of  the 
pupils  was  limited. 


DAN  BAXTER'S  MONEY.  141 

"  Never  mind — I  have  it,  and  that's  enough," 
answered  Baxter,  but  he  lost  no  time  in  put- 
ting all  of  the  money  but  the  ten-dollar  bill 
away. 

It  was  all  Fred  Garrison  could  do  to  scrape  up 
an  equal  sum,  and  even  at  that  he  had  to  borrow 
a  dollar  from  Dick.  But  he  was  "  game,"  and 
the  money  went  to  another  pupil,  who  became 
stakeholder  until  the  contest  should  be  decided. 

"  It's  a  shame!  "  cried  Sam,  when  he  heard  of 
the  transaction.  "  To  bet  against  his  own 
school!  I'm  like  Dick — I  don't  believe  in  bet- 
ting, and  yet  I  am  glad  Fred  took  him  up.  If  it 
is  in  my  power,  Baxter  shall  lose  his  wager." 

Thanksgiving  was  but  a  week  off,  so  the  foot- 
ball team  had  to  work  hard  to  get  into  proper 
condition.  Moreover,  studies  must  not  be  neg- 
lected, for  Captain  Putnam  was  strict,  and  would 
have  canceled  the  game  had  his  cadets  become 
unmindful  of  their  school  duties.  But  the  team 
got  permission  to  get  up  an  hour  earlier  than 
usual  every  morning,  and  this  time  was  spent  in 
the  hardest  kind  of  practice  with  the  ball. 

The  report  that  Baxter  had  bet  against  his 
own  school  spread,  and  the  bully  became  more 
unpopular  than  ever.  But  this  did  not  daunt 
him,  and  soon  he  had  a  dozen  other  bets  on, 
aggregating  fifty  dollars  or  more. 

"  It's  a  mystery  to  me  where  he  gets  so  much 


142  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

money,"  said  Dick  to  Captain  Blossom  one  day. 
"Is  his  father  rich?" 

"  I  can't  tell  you,"  answered  the  youthful 
commander  of  Company  A.  "  Fact  of  the  mat- 
ter is,  nobody  knows  much  about  Baxter — not 
even  Mumps  his  chum.  Nobody  ever  comes  to 
see  him,  and  he  seldom  ever  gets  any  letters. 
Yet  he  always  has  all  the  spending  money  he 
wants." 

"  Perhaps  he's  got  a  gold  mine  somewhere," 
laughed  Dick. 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,  but  I  do  know  that 
there  are  days  when  he  hasn't  a  cent,  and  the 
next  day  he  will  have  just  such  a  roll  of  bills  as 
you  saw  him  with  day  before  yesterday — and  the 
money  doesn't  come  to  him  through  the  mail 
either." 

"  Perhaps  Captain  Putnam  deals  it  out  to 
him." 

Captain  Harry  shook  his  head.  "  Not  much! 
The  captain  wouldn't  let  him  have  more  than 
five  dollars  at  a  time.  I've  been  through  the 
mill,  and  I  know." 

Here  the  matter  was  dropped,  but  Dick  had 
good  cause  to  remember  this  conversation  later 
on. 

The  distance  from  Putnam  Hall  to  Pornell 
Academy  was  a  mile  and  a  half,  and  it  was  ar- 
ranged that  the  football  team,  Captain  Putnam* 


DAN  BAXTER'S  MONEY.  143 

'  ieorge  Strong,  and  several  others  should  ride  to 
the  latter  place  in  the  Hall  carriages  while  the 
others  walked  the  distance.  Thanksgiving 
dawned  bright  and  clear.  The  morning  was 
spent  in  the  Hall  chapel,  and  dinner  was  served 
promptly  at  twelve. 

"  Don't  eat  too  much,"  cautioned  Sam.  "  I 
want  every  player  to  be  wide  awake  to-day." 

The  start  was  signalized  by  a  grand  flourish  of 
tin  horns;  and  away  went  the  two  carriages  with 
the  horses  on  a  gallop,  followed  by  a  large  num- 
ber of  the  cadets  on  foot,  organized  into  their 
regular  companies,  with  Major  Bart  Conners  at 
the  head  of  the  battalion.  The  boys  were  in 
their  best  uniforms,  and  certainly  presented  an 
imposing  appearance  as  they  marched  behind 
the  music  of  their  drums  and  fifes. 

When  the  grounds  at  Pornell  Academy  were 
reached,  they  were  found  to  be  more  than  three- 
quarters  full,  for  the  proprietor  of  the  place  had 
opened  up  for  the  benefit  of  the  public  at  large, 
and  many  had  come  from  Cedarville  and  the  sur- 
rounding territory.  The  grandstand  was  al- 
ready comfortably  filled,  many  coming  into  the 
part  reserved  for  the  Hall  folks  on  tickets  of  in- 
vitation issued  by  Sam  and  indorsed  by  Captain 
Putnam. 

"  Here  they  come!  "  yelled  the  boys  of  Por- 
nell. "  Three  cheers  for  Putnam  Hall!  " 


X44  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

The  cheers  were  given  with  a  will;  and,  getting 
the  football  team  and  the  other  cadets  together, 
Putnam  Hall  gave  a  rousing  cheer  in  return  for 
Pornell  Academy.  Then  the  football  teams  dis- 
appeared into  their  respective  dressing  rooms, 
and  the  newly  arrived  cadets  took  their  places  in 
the  grandstand.  A  timekeeper  and  referee  had 
already  been  appointed  by  Sam  and  the  rival 
captain,  at  a  meeting  at  the  Hall  three  days  be- 
fore. 

"  My!  what  a  crowd!  "  exclaimed  Tom,  as  he 
surveyed  the  multitude.  "  I  didn't  think  we 
were  going  to  have  such  an  audience  as  this!  " 

"  Nor  I,"  returned  Sam.  "  We  must  do  our 
level  best,  fellows !  " 

"  That's  what!  "  came  from  several.  "  If  we 
get  whipped " 

''  Remember  what  Baxter  did — that's  enough 
to  nerve  anybody  on,"  finished  Larry  Colby. 
"  By  the  way,  where  is  Baxter?  " 

"  Sneaked  out  of  the  ranks,"  answered  an- 
other player.  "  Nobody  wanted  to  march  with 
him." 

"  Well,  I  don't  blame  them,"  concluded  Sam. 

Doctor  Pornell  now  put  in  an  appearance  and 
desired  to  know  if  the  football  team  did  not  wish 
to  march  around  the  oval  escorted  by  his  own 
players. 

"Certainly!"    cried    Sam.      "And   to   show 


DAN  BAXTER'S  MONEY.  145 

this  is  a  purely  friendly  match,  let  us  march  side 
by  side,"  he  went  on,  and  this  was  also  arranged. 
The  Putnam  Hall  drum-and-fife  corps  led  the 
march,  and  each  player  strode  forth  with  a  rival 
at  his  side.  The  march  brought  forth  a  wild 
round  of  applause  and  a  veritable  shrieking  of 
tin  horns  and  cracking  of  wooden  clappers. 

After  the  march  each  team  was  allowed  quar- 
ter of  an  hour  for  practicing.  The  Pornellites 
came  out  first  and  tumbled  over  the  leather  in 
lively  fashion.  The  Putnamites  soon  followed. 

"  They  may  be  all  right,  but  they  haven't  the 
weight,"  said  one  of  the  rivals.  And  this  ap- 
peared true,  for  each  Pornellite,  man  for  man, 
was  at  least  five  pounds  heavier  than  his  oppo- 
nent. But  weight  does  not  always  count  for 
everything,  even  in  a  football  match. 

"Time  for  practice  is  up!"  came  presently, 
and  the  two  teams  drew  away  from  the  gridiron. 
Then  there  was  a  toss-up  for  goals,  and  Pornell 
won  and  took  the  east  end,  that  which  was  most 
favored  by  the  slight  breeze  that  was  blowing. 

And  then  the  great  gam«  began. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  GREAT  FOOTBALL  GAME. 

The  halves  were  to  be  of  twenty  minutes  each, 
so  no  time  was  lost  in  putting  the  leather  into 
the  field.  It  was  Putnam's  kick-off,  and  on  the 
instant  the  ball  went  sailing  into  the  air,  to  land 
well  into  Pornell's  territory.  Then  came  a 
grand  rush,  and  before  the  words  can  be  put 
down  twenty-two  lads  were  at  it  nip-and-tuck  to 
get  possession  of  the  sphere. 

'It's  Pornell's  ball!" 

"  Say,  but  aint  this  going  to  be  a  snappy 
game!  " 

"  Our  fellows  have  the  ball!  " 

"  There  she  goes  up  five  yards  into  Putnam 
ground ! " 

"Carry  that  ball  back!"  yelled  Dick  excit- 
edly. "  Don't  let  them  gain  an  inch!  " 

"  Whoop  her  up  for  Pornell!  " 

And  then  came  a  wild  blare  of  tin  horns  and  a 
waving  of  the  academy  colors,  brown  and  white. 
The  waving  of  the  Hall  colors,  an  American  flag 
set  in  a  border  of  green,  came  also,  with  an  equal 
din  from  horns  and  wooden  clappers. 


THE   GREAT  FOOTBALL   GAME.  147 

So  the  game  went  on  for  ten  minutes,  and  the 
Pornellites  had  gained  exactly  twenty-five  yards, 
no  more. 

"  Looks  like  a  stand-off,"  said  several.  "  Say, 
maybe  those  young  soldiers  aren't  game!  " 

"  That's  what — but  we'll  wax  'em!  "  was  the 
answer,  and  then  of  a  sudden  came  another  yell, 
for  Pornell  had  the  ball  and  was  pushing  it 
straight  ahead  for  Putnam's  goal. 

"Ten  yards!" 

"  Five  yards  more!  " 

"  Fifteen  yards  more!  " 

"Hurrah!  hurrah!  hurrah!" 

Toot!  toot-a-root-toot !  Clack-clack-clack, 
bang! 

The  Pornellites  were  now  wild,  but  they 
stared  blankly  as  they  saw  plucky  Tom  Rover 
snatch  the  leather  up  and  run  back  twenty  yards 
with  it. 

"  He's  going  right  through  with  it!  " 

"  There  goes  Hardy  after  him!  " 

"  Down  they  go!" 

"  Lushear  has  the  ball!     It's  going  back!  " 

"  Run,  Lushear,  run!  A  dollar  if  you  make 
it!" 

"  They  can't  catch  him!  Oh,  pshaw!  Down 
he  goes!  " 

"  But  the  ball  is  safe!  A  touchdown!  Hur- 
rah!" 


148  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

The  cry  was  correct.  Just  three  minutes  be- 
fore the  end  of  the  first  half  the  Pornell  team 
scored  a  touchdown.  Instantly  preparations 
were  made  to  kick  a  goal  if  possible.  But  the 
kick  was  a  failure,  and  the  two  sides  retired  for 
the  half  with  the  score  standing  4  to  o  in  Por- 
nell Academy's  favor. 

Glumly  the  Hall  boys  retired  to  their  dressing 
room,  there  to  be  rubbed  down  by  their  chums. 
"  It's  too  bad,  it  certainly  is,"  came  from  a  dozen 
sympathizers.  "  But  it  can't  be  helped.  Don't 
give  up  yet." 

"  They  are  too  heavy  for  us  in  mass  play,"  said 
Sam.  "  We  must  try  more  running  away  with 
the  leather."  And  so  it  was  agreed. 

Soon  the  gong  rang,  and  they  re-entered  the 
field. 

"  Now,  Putnam  Hall,  do  your  best!  We  are 
looking  at  you!  " 

"  They  can't  play  a  little  bit,"  sneered  Dan 
Baxter.  "  I'm  ashamed  of  them,"  and  he 
smiled  to  himself,  thinking  the  fifty  dollars  put 
up  on  the  game  was  already  as  good  as  won. 

Sam  had  given  his  team  some  explicit  instruc- 
tions, and  these  were  now  being  followed.  As 
soon  as  the  ball  came  into  Putnam's  possession 
there  was  a  run  on  their  part  that  carried  the 
sphere  twenty  yards  into  their  opponents'  terri- 
tory. 


THE   GREAT  FOOTBALL   GAME.  149 

"  Go  in  and  win,  Putnam!  " 

"  That's  the  way  to  do  it!" 

"Take  it  from  them,  Pornell!  Go  for  it! 
Take  it!" 

And  Pornell  did  take  it,  and  half  the  distance 
gained  was  lost. 

Both  teams  were  now  warmed  up,  and  for 
fully  five  minutes  the  ball  flew  back  and  forth, 
remaining  at  the  end  of  that  time  almost  in  the 
center  of  the  gridiron.  Then  Pornell  tried  some 
heavy  mass  play,  but  lost  the  leather  on  a 
fumble,  and  it  came  into  Tom  Rover's  posses- 
sion. 

Away  flew  Tom,  as  though  a  legion  of  demons 
were  after  him,  straight  for  Pornell's  goal.  The 
crowd  began  to  shout  itself  hoarse. 

"  See  Tom  Rover!  Go  it,  Tom,  old  boy, 
go  it!" 

"  He  can't  carry  it  through!  See,  Conkey 
and  Largren  are  after  him!  " 

"There  he  goes  down!  Conkey  has  the 
leather!" 

This  was  true,  but  ere  Conkey  could  start  to 
run  Fred  Garrison  brought  him  to  earth  and 
the  ball  rolled  out  into  the  field. 

Sam  and  a  Pornell  halfback  made  a  rush  for  it. 

"My  ball!"  yelled  the  Pornellite,  who  was 
twenty  pounds  heavier  than  the  little  captain. 

"  Not  to-day!  "  retorted  Sam,  and  snatched  it 


15°  THE   ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

from  under  his  very  feet.  Before  the  Pornellite 
could  recover  from  his  astonishment,  Sam  was 
pelting  up  the  field  with  all  the  nimoleness  of  his 
agile  legs. 

"  Hurrah  for  Sam  Rover!  " 

"  Great  Caesar!  see  him  leg  it!  " 

"  They  can't  catch  him!  " 

"  There  he  goes  over  the  line!  " 

"  A  touchdown!     The  game  is  a  tie!  " 

"Quick,  fellows!"  cried  Sam.  "Only  five 
more  minutes,  remember.  Who  is  to 
kick?  " 

It  was  a  player  named  Larcom.  But  Larcom 
was  not  equal  to  it,  for  the  wind  was  rising  and 
blowing  in  several  directions  at  once. 

"  No  goal!     The  game  is  a  tie!  " 

"  Put  the  ball  out  again!  " 

"  Only  four  minutes  to  play!  " 

Again  the  football  went  forth,  and  again  the 
crowd  pounced  upon  it.  The  Pornellites  were 
now  desperate  and  massed  themselves  as  never 
before.  They  pushed  forward  ten  yards — fif- 
teen— twenty — almost  thirty.  It  looked  as  if 
they  would  score  another  touchdown,  if  not  kick 
a  goal.  But  now  Sam  Rover  sent  a  certain  sign 
to  his  players.  It  was  taking  a  risk,  but  it  was 
worth  trying.  The  ball  came  over  to  the  right 
of  the  field  and  spun  like  lightning  to  the  left. 
Fred  caught  it  up,  ran  ten  yards,  and  passed  it 


THE   GREAT  FOOTBALL   GAME.  151 

to  Larry  Colby,  who  turned  it  over  to  Tom. 
Away  it  went  to  Sam,  and  then  to  Frank.  The 
Pornellites  were  bewildered.  Where  was  the 
ball?  " 

"Putnam  has  it!" 

"There  she  goes!  Hurrah  for  Frank  Har- 
rington. Another  touchdown!  " 

It  was  true.  Putnam  Hall  had  scored  an- 
other touchdown.  A  tremendous  yelling  and 
cheering  broke  out,  in  the  midst  of  which  the 
gong  sounded.  The  game  was  over,  and  our 
boys  had  won  the  victory. 

In  a  twinkle  the  gridiron  was  covered  with 
swarming  students,  and  Sam  and  his  fellow 
players  were  hoisted  up  on  willing  shoulders,  to 
be  trotted  around  the  oval.  "  Hurrah  for  Por- 
nell!"  they  shouted.  "Hurrah  for  Putnam!" 
came  back  the  cry.  It  had  been  a  bitter  but 
friendly  contest,  and  victors  and  vanquished 
shook  hands  over  and  over  again. 

Of  course  many  students  of  Pornell  were  bit- 
terly disappointed,  but  no  one  felt  so  sour  over 
the  whole  afternoon's  doing  as  did  Dan  Baxter. 
In  all  he  had  lost  over  fifty  dollars,  and  now 
neither  his  fellow  students  nor  the  boys  of  Por- 
nell Academy  wanted  anything  to  do  with  him. 
"  I  haven't  any  use  for  a  chap  who  bets  against 
his  own  crowd,"  was  the  comment  of  one 
academy  student,  and  he  voiced  the  sentiment 


15 2  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

of  all.  Only  Mumps  stuck  to  his  chum,  and  the 
two  soon  left  the  grounds  together. 

By  four  o'clock  the  cadets  were  on  their  way 
back  to  Putnam  Hall,  the  carriages  moving  be- 
hind the  two  companies  of  young  soldiers,  who 
sang  and  shouted  themselves  hoarse  as  they 
moved  along.  Even  Captain  Putnam  entered 
into  the  spirit  of  the  affair.  "  Brings  me  back 
to  the  days  when  I  was  a  cadet  myself,"  he  said 
to  George  Strong. 

Directly  after  supper  a  huge  bonfire  was  lit  on 
the  playground,  and  the  students  were  allowed 
to  have  their  own  fun  until  eleven  o'clock.  The 
football  team  was,  of  course,  the  center  of  attrac- 
tion, and  Sam  and  Tom  came  in  for  their  full 
share  of  honors. 

While  the  festivities  of  this  Thanksgiving  Eve 
were  at  their  height,  a  sudden  thought  struck 
Dick.  Captain  Putnam  had  given  the  cadets 
permission  to  go  beyond  bounds  if  any  cared  to 
do  so,  and  he  hurried  away,  his  intention  being 
to  call  upon  Dora  Stanhope  and  see  how  she  was 
faring.  Although  Dick  would  not  admit  it,  he 
thought  a  great  deal  of  Dora,  and  he  was  sorry 
that  she  was  in  danger  of  having  the  detestable 
Josiah  Crabtree  for  a  stepfather. 

It  was  a  clear,  moonlight  night,  and  he 
hurried  off  in  the  best  of  spirits,  taking  a  short 
cut  by  way  of  a  road  through  the  woods.  As 


THE   GREAT  FOOTBALL   GAME.  1 53 

he  walked  along  he  remembered  how  Tom  had 
met  in  this  vicinity  the  thief  who  had  stolen  the 
watch. 

"  I  wonder  if  I'll  meet  him,"  he  thought,  but 
no  tramp  put  in  an  appearance;  indeed,  he  did 
not  see  a  soul  until  the  Stanhope  homestead  was 
reached. 

A  light  was  burning  brightly  in  the  sitting 
room,  and  the  curtains  were  drawn  down  to 
within  six  inches  of  the  bottom  of  the  windows. 
Dick  was  about  to  ascend  the  porch,  when  he 
changed  his  mind  and  walked  softly  to  one  of 
the  windows. 

"  If  they  have  a  lot  of  company  I  won't  dis- 
turb them  on  a  holiday  like  this,"  he  thought, 
and  peeped  under  one  of  the  curtains. 

The  sight  that  met  his  gaze  filled  him  with 
astonishment  and  indignation.  Only  two  per- 
sons were  present,  Dora  and  Josiah  Crabtree. 
Crabtree  had  the  girl  by  the  left  wrist,  and  had 
one  hand  raised  as  if  to  strike  his  prisoner. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

DICK    AT    THE    STANHOPE    COTTAGE. 

"The  villain!" 

Such  were  the  words  which  sprang  involun- 
tarily to  Dick's  lips  as  he  gazed  at  the  scene  be- 
fore him.  He  was  filled  with  bitter  indignation 
and  could  hardly  resist  the  temptation  to  break 
in  the  window  and  leap  to  Dora's  assistance. 

As  he  paused,  he  saw  Dora  push  Crabtree 
back  and  leap  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  center 
table. 

"  Don't  you  dare  to  touch  me,  Mr.  Crabtree!  " 
came  loud  enough  for  Dick  to  hear  quite  plainly. 

"  I  want  you  to  behave  yourself,  young  lady," 
stormed  Josiah  Crabtree. 

"I  know  how  to  do  that  without  your  advice." 

"  No,  you  don't.  You  have  set  your  mother 
against  me.  If  it  hadn't  been  for  you,  we 
would  be  married  long  ago." 

"  I  believe  a  daughter  has  a  right  to  advise  her 
mother  concerning  a  stranger,  Mr.  Crabtree." 

"  A  stranger!  " 

"  Well,  an  outsider — if  you  like  that  better." 

"  I  am  no  outsider.  I've  known  your  mother 
154 


X 

DICK  AT  THE   STANHOPE   COTTAGE.       155 

for  years.  I  might  have  married  her,  instead  of 
your  father  doing  so,  if  he  hadn't  played  an 
underhanded  trick  which' " 

"  Stop,  sir.  You  shall  not  say  a  word  against 
my  father." 

"Good  for  Dora!"  thought  Dick.  "She's 
the  right  kind." 

"  Your  mother  is  quite  willing  to  marry  me, 
and  as  a  dutiful  daughter  you  should  bow  to  her 
wishes." 

"  Mother  is  not  herself,  Mr.  Crabtree.  Ever 
since  father  died  she  has  been  upset  by  business 
matters,  and  you  have  pestered  the  life  out  of 
her.  If  you  would  only  go  away  for  a  month  or 
so  and  give  her  time  to  think  it  over,  I  am  sure 
she  would  end  this  matter  between  you." 

"  Tut,  tut,  child,  you  do  not  know  what  you 
are  talking  about!  Your  mother  has  given  me 
her  word,  and  you  ought  to  bow  to  the  inevi- 
table." 

"  She  has  not  yet  married  you,  sir,  and  until 
she  is  actually  bound  to  you  there  will  still  be 
hope  for  her." 

"  This  is — is  outrageous!  "  cried  Josiah  Crab- 
tree  wrathfully.  "  Do  you  think  I  will  allow  a 
mere  slip  of  a  girl  to  stand  between  me  and  my 
plans?  Just  wait  until  I  am  your  father " 

'  You  shall  never  take  the  place  of  my  dear 
dead  father,  Mr.  Crabtree — never! "  and  now 


156  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

Dora's  eyes  filled  with  tears.  "  He  was  ten 
thousand  times  better  than  you  can  ever  be!  " 

"  I  must  admit  I  can't  see  it.  He  had  not 
half  the  education  I  possess,"  answered  Jo- 
siah  Crabtree  conceitedly. 

"  Perhaps  not,  but  he  had  an  honest,  warm 
heart,  and  that  counts  for  more  than  a  mere 
book  education.  I  fancy  many  men  are  smarter, 
even  in  book  learning,  than  Mr.  Josiah  Crabtree, 
who  tried  last  week  for  an  opening  at  Columbia 
College  and  failed  to  meet  the  requirements." 

"  Ha!  who  told  you  that?  " 

"  Mother  told  me." 

"  She  is  foolish  to  take  you  into  her  confi- 
dence. It  was  not  my  fault  that  I  failed  of  the 
opening — merely  the  pigheadedness  of  those 
having  the  matter  in  charge.  However,  I  do 
not  care  much.  As  soon  as  your  mother  and  I 
are  married,  I  shall  make  some  changes  here,  put 
up  a  fine  brick  building,  and  open  a  rival  school 
to  Putnam  Hall." 

"  Gracious,  here  is  news!  "  thought  Dick.  "  I 
wonder  what  Captain  Putnam  will  say  to  that?  " 

"Will  you?"  ejaculated  Dora.  "And  who 
will  give  you  permission  to  make  alterations 
here?" 

"  Mrs.  Crabtree — that  is  soon  to  be." 

"  Do  you  know  that  she  holds  this  property  in 
trust  for  me,  Mr.  Crabtree?  It  will  be  hers 


DICK  AT   THE   STANHOPE   COTTAGE.       1 57 

only  if  I  should  die  before  I  become  of  age.  Her 
own  share  of  papa's  estate  is  situated  further  up 
the  lake,  at  Berryport." 

At  this  announcement  Josiah  Crabtree  started 
back.  "  You — you  are  not  telling  the  truth," 
he  faltered. 

"  I  am." 

"  But  your  mother  is  the  executrix  of  your 
father's  will." 

"  Yes." 

"  Exactly.  Consequently  she  has  full  control 
of  all  the  property  until  you  are  twenty-one." 

"  She  has — but  certain  changes  suggested  by 
you  or  her  would  be  subject  to  the  approval  of 
the  court  or  the  surrogate,  so  I  have  been  told," 
answered  Dora  quietly. 

Josiah  Crabtree  glared  at  the  girl,  and  then 
began  to  pace  the  floor  impatiently. 

"  Dora,  see  here,"  he  said  finally.  "  Let  us 
come  to  terms." 

"  What  terms?  " 

r<  Your  mother  and  I  are  bound  to  get 
married.  Remove  your  opposition  to  this,  and 
I  will  promise  not  to  interfere  with  you  in  the 
least.  You  can  do  as  you  please  and  go  where 
you  please,  and  you  shall  have  all  the  spending 
money  from  time  to  time  that  the  estate  can 
afford." 

At  this  the  girl's  lip  curled  proudly. 


158  THE  ROVER  SOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  I  do  not  thank  you  for  your  offer,  Mr.  Crab- 
tree.  The  whole  difficulty  is  just  here — I  do 
not  like  you;  and  my  mother  shall  never  marry 
you  so  long  as  I  can  prevent  it." 

"You — you  saucy  minx!"  he  snarled  and 
leaping  around  the  table  caught  her  by  the  wrist 
again.  "  I'll  tame  you  before  I  am  done  with 
you,  mark  my  words!  If  you  dare  to  talk  to 
your  mother  again Hullo,  who  is  this?  " 

"  Dick  Rover! "  cried  Dora  in  amazement 
and  in  delight. 

For  Dick  had  suddenly  thrown  up  the  win- 
dow sash,  which  was  unlocked,  and  leaped 
straight  into  the  sitting  room. 

"  Let  her  go,  Josiah  Crab  tree!  "  ordered  the 
young  cadet.  "  Don't  you  dare  to  strike  her,  or 
I'll  knock  you  flat!" 

"  One  of  the  Rover  boys!  "  muttered  the  ex- 
teacher.  "  What  business  have  you  here  at  this 
hour  of  the  evening?  Have  you  run  away  from 
the  Hall?" 

"  Since  you  have  been  discharged,  I  do  not 
feel  called  upon  to  answer  your  question,"  an- 
swered Dick.  "  But  you  must  let  Dora  alone, 
or  there  will  be  a  broken  head  around  here,  I  can 
tell  you  that!" 

At  Dick's  plain  words  Josiah  Crabtree  grew 
pale.  He  had  dropped  the  girl's  wrist,  and  now 
he  fell  back  several  steps. 


DICK  AT   THE   STANHOPE   COTTAGE.       159 

"  I  was  not  harming  the  girl,  only  trying  to 
reason  with  her." 

"  Oh,  I  know  you  well  enough.  I've  heard 
you  were  the  most  pigheaded  teacher  they  ever 
had  at  Putnam  Hall,"  rejoined  Dick  warmly. 
"  I  shall  take  pains  to  let  Mrs.  Stanhope  know 
what  they  think  of  you,  too." 

"  Was  he  discharged?  "  asked  Dora.  "  He 
told  mamma  that  he  had  left  of  his  own  accord." 

"  He  was  discharged,"  answered  Dick,  who 
had  got  word  through  Peleg  Snuggers. 

"  It  is  not  true! "  stormed  Josiah  Crabtree. 
"This  is  a — a  plot  to  injure  me  in  the  eyes  of 
Mrs.  Stanhope,  and  you  shall  pay  dearly  for  it, 
boy!  "  and  he  shook  his  fist  in  Dick's  face. 

"  Don't  do  that  again,  Mr.  Crabtree,  or  we 
may  have  a  set-to  right  here — begging  Dora's 
pardon,"  answered  Dick,  his  eyes  flashing  fire. 

"  That's  all  right — don't  give  in  an  inch  to 
him,  Dick,"  whispered  Dora.  "  I  hate  him — 
oh,  more  than  words  can  tell! "  and  she  caught 
the  youth's  arm. 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  you,  boy!  "  was  the  short 
return,  but  now  the  ex-teacher  turned  to  the 
hallway.  "  I  was  on  the  point  of  leaving,  and 
now  I  will  go,  Dora.  But  I  will  be  back  in  a 
day  or  two,"  and  he  strode  from  the  room.  A 
moment  later  he  had  secured  his  hat  and  over- 
coat and  taken  his  departure. 


160  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"Oh,  what  a  dreadful  man!"  sobbed  Dora, 
when  he  was  gone.  "  Dick  Rover,  what  shall  I 
do?  "  and  she  looked  at  him  pleadingly. 

"  It's  a  puzzle  to  me,  Dora — worse  than  an 
example  in  cube  root  in  algebra! "  He  smiled 
sadly.  "  But  if  I  was  you  I'd  hold  out  and 
never  let  him  marry  my  mother." 

"  Oh,  I  will  never  consent  to  that — never! 
But  he  may  marry  her  anyway." 

"  If  he  does,  you  can  apply  to  the  courts  for 
another  guardian — if  Crabtree  doesn't  treat  you 
fairly." 

"  But  I  do  not  wish  to  separate  from  my 
mother." 

"  Well,  the  only  thing  to  do  is  to  keep  fight- 
ing him  off.  In  the  meantime  I'll  try  to  get 
some  folks  who  know  Crabtree  well  to  tell  your 
mother  just  what  a  mean,  crabbed  fellow  he  is. 
Undoubtedly  he  is  after  the  money  your  father 
left." 

"  So  I  always  supposed — but  mother  does 
not  think  so." 

"  How  is  your  mother?  " 

"  She  is  doing  nicely,  and  may  be  out  in  a 
week  or  two.  I  am  keeping  her  in  as  long  as 
possible,  so  that  Josiah  Crabtree  cannot  argue 
her  into  going  off  and  getting  married." 

"  You  certainly  have  your  hands  full,  Dora," 


DICK  AT   THE   STANHOPE   COTTAGE.       l6l 

answered  the  young-  cadet.  "  I  wish  I  could 
take  this  burden  off  your  shoulders,  indeed  I 
do!  "  and  impulsively  he  caught  up  her  plump 
hand  and  kissed  it. 

"  Oh !  "  She  snatched  the  hand  away  and 
blushed  prettily,  but  was  not  angry.  "  I — I — 
it's  something  to  know  one  has  a  friend,  Dick," 
she  said  softly.  Can  I  come  to  you  if  I — 'that  is 
• — if  I  want  something  done?  " 

"  To  be  sure,  Dora — I'll — I'll  do  anything  in 
the  wide  world  for  you — there!  "  and  he  kissed 
her  hand  again. 

At  that  moment  an  elderly  lady  who  had  been 
hired  to  wait  on  Mrs.  Stanhope  came  in,  and  the 
conversation  was  changed.  Dora  asked  about 
life  at  the  Hall,  and  Dick  told  of  the  football 
game  and  of  the  parts  Tom  and  Sam  had  played 
in  it. 

"  You  are  a  great  set  of  boys!  "  Dora  smiled. 
"  I  wish  I  had  a  couple  of  sisters." 

"  You  have  your  two  cousins,  Nellie  and 
Grace." 

"  Yes,  but  they  are  not  as  intimate  as  sisters 
would  be — although  they  are  the  best  of 
cousins." 

"  What  does  Mr.  Laning  say  of  Crabtree?  " 
Dick  whispered,  as  the  nurse  left  the  room  for  a 
moment. 


162  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Uncle  does  not  like  him,  but  he  says  the 
whole  matter  is  none  of  his  affair — and  mother 
must  do  as  she  thinks  best." 

It  was  now  growing  late,  and  Dick  took  his 
departure,  kissing  Dora's  hand  a  third  time  as 
they  stood  in  the  darkness  of  the  porch. 
"You're  terrible!"  she  murmured,  but  it  is 
doubtful  if  she  meant  anything  by  it.  Girls  and 
boys  are  about  the  same  the  world  over,  and 
Dick's  regard  for  Dora  was  of  the  manly  sort 
that  is  creditable  to  anybody. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

WINTER    SPORTS. 

"  Hurrah,  boys,  the  ice  is  forming  just  as  fast 
as  it  can!  We'll  have  skating  in  twenty-four 
hours!  *' 

It  was  Sam  who  came  rushing  into  the  gym- 
nasium with  the  news.  The  place  was  crowded 
at  the  time,  for  it  was  too  cold  to  play  on  the 
grounds  outside. 

"  Skating!  "  cried  Tom.  "  That  just  suits  me. 
I  wonder  if  I  brought  my  skates  along?  " 

"  You  didn't,"  answered  Sam.  "  Neither 
did  I." 

"  I  have  my  skates,"  said  Fred  Garrison.  "  A 
brand  new  pair." 

"  My  skates  were  old,"  said  Tom.  "  I  must 
strike  Captain  Putnam  for  a  couple  of  dollars  of 
my  allowance  and  buy  a  new  pair." 

"  So  must  I,"  put  in  Sam.  "  Dick,  I  know, 
has  his  skates." 

It  was  early  in  December,  and  it  had  been 
growing  colder  steadily.  There  had  been  one 
fall  of  snow,  but  it  had  amounted  to  but  little. 

The  next  day  skating  in  the  cove  of  the  lake 
near  Putnam  Hall  was  excellent,  the  ice  being 

16- 


I 64  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

from  three  to  four  inches  thick.  At  once  Sam 
and  Tom  went  to  Captain  Putnam. 

"  Want  to  buy  some  skates?  "  said  the  cap- 
tain. "  Well,  the  money  I  am  keeping  is  your 
own,  and  I  presume  every  boy  likes  to  skate. 
Here  are  two  dollars  for  each  of  you.  Show  me 
your  purchases  when  you  get  back." 

"  We  will,"  replied  the  lads,  and  hurried  off, 
for  time  was  precious,  with  the  smooth  ice  wait- 
ing for  them.  They  knew  that  a  certain  hard- 
ware dealer  in  Cedarville  had  a  good  quantity  of 
skates  on  hand,  and  started  to  walk  to  the  vil- 
lage without  delay. 

"  Baxter  is  going  to  buy  a  pair  of  skates,  too," 
said  Sam,  on  the  way.  "  I  heard  him  telling 
Mumps  about  it." 

"  Well,  we  don't  want  Baxter  for  company," 
answered  Tom.  "  He  can  go  alone." 

It  did  not  take  the  lads  long  to  reach  Cedar- 
ville, but  once  at  the  hardware  store  considerable 
time  was  lost  in  getting  just  the  skates  desired. 

"  It's  queer  Baxter  hasn't  shown  up,"  said 
Tom,  when  they  were  ready  to  leave. 

"  Perhaps  he  went  elsewhere  for  his  skates," 
suggested  Sam. 

The  hardware  shop  was  at  the  end  of  the  vil- 
lage street,  and  as  they  passed  a  number  of 
places  of  business  Tom  suddenly  caught  his 
brother  by  the  arm. 


WINTER   SPORTS.  165 

"  There  is  Baxter  now — just  entering  that 
tavern!  "  he  exclaimed  in  a  low  voice. 

"The  tavern!"  repeated  Sam.  "Why,  it's 
against  the  regulations  to  enter  a  drinking 
place!" 

"  I  don't  care — I  saw  Baxter  go  in,"  returned 
Tom.  "  He  was  with  a  tall  man." 

"  If  Captain  Putnam  hears  of  this,  Baxter  will 
be  sent  away,  or  at  least  punished." 

"  Perhaps,  Sam ;  but  I  shan't  tell  him." 

"  No;  we're  no  tale-bearers.  Let  us  go  up  to 
the  side  windows  of  the  tavern  and  see  if  we  can 
see  them." 

This  was  agreed  to,  and  the  two  boys  hurried 
up  to  first  one  window  and  then  another. 

"  They  are  not  in  the  saloon  part,  that's  cer- 
tain," said  Tom  blankly.  "  But  I  am  certain  I 
saw  Baxter  go  in,  and  the  tall  man  with  him." 

"  Here  is  a  side  room,"  answered  Sam. 
"  And  there  they  are,  at  a  corner  table.  The 
man  is  giving  Baxter  some  money!  " 

Tom    peeped    into    the    window    over    his 
brother's  shoulder. 
'     "  My  gracious!  " 

"  What's  up  now,  Tom?  " 

"  That  tall  man  is  the  same  fellow  I  met  in  the 
woods.  The  one  that  was  with  the  tramp  who 
stole  the  watch! " 


166  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"You  don't  mean  it!" 

"  But  I  do!     See  the  scar  on  his  chin?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  He  is  that  thief's  pal,  as  they  call  it." 

"  And  he  just  gave  Baxter  some  bank  bills. 
What  does  it  mean?  " 

"  I  give  it  up.  But  I  know  one  thing — that 
man  ought  to  be  arrested !  " 

"That's  true.  Oh!  they  have  seen  us!  If 
they — hi!  what  do  you  mean  by  that?  "  For  a 
burly  bartender  had  suddenly  come  up  behind 
both  of  the  boys  and  hurled  them  backward. 

"  No  spying  around  this  place!  "  cried  the  dis- 
penser of  liquors  roughly.  "  Take  yourselves 
off!" 

"  There  is  a  man  inside  I  want  to  see,"  said 
Tom. 

"  Why  don't  you  come  in,  then?  " 

"  I  will — as  soon  as  I  can  find  a  policeman  or 
a  constable." 

"  What!  going  to  have  a  gent  arrested?  " 

"  The  man  inside  knows  all  about  a  stolen 
watch." 

"  You  must  be  mistaken." 

"  No,  I  am  not.  Where  can  I  find  a  police- 
man? " 

"  Down  at  the  steamboat  landing,  most 
likely." 

"  All  right.     Sam,  you  stay  here  and  see  that 


WINTER   SPORTS.  167 

that  fellow  don't  make  tracks,"  and  Tom  pre- 
pared to  move  away. 

"  See  here,  we  don't  want  any  trouble  in  our 
place,"  said  the  barkeeper.  "  We  run  a  respect- 
able house,  we  do." 

"  Then  you  ought  to  help  me  bag  the  pal  of  a 
thief,"  retorted  Tom. 

"Hold  on,  Tom!"  came  from  Sam.  "  They're 
gone!  They  slipped  through  a  back  door!  " 

Tom  ran  up  to  the  window  again.  It  was 
true — Baxter  and  the  man  with  a  scar  had  dis- 
appeared. 

"Come  on  back!"  he  cried  to  his  brother, 
and  both  ran  to  the  rear  of  the  tavern.  Here 
there  was  a  yard,  at  the  end  of  which  stood  a 
barn  and  a  long,  low  carriage  shed.  Only  a 
negro  hostler  was  in  sight. 

"  Perhaps  they  haven't  come  out  yet,"  began 
Sam,  when  he  caught  sight  of  a  buggy  on  a  road 
behind  the  barn.  It  was  going  at  a  furious  rate, 
the  scarred  man  driving,  and  lashing  his  mettle^ 
some  horse  at  the  same  time. 

"  There  goes  the  man!  " 

"  That's  so.     Where  is  Baxter?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 

They  ran  after  the  buggy,  but  soon  gave  up 
the  chase,  as  man  and  turnout  disappeared 
around  a  bend  leading  to  the  woods  back  of 
Cedarville. 


168  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  We've  lost  him!  "  murmured  Tom,  when  he 
could  get  back  his  breath.  "  Now.  who  in  the 
name  of  Old  Nick  can  he  be?  " 

"  Evidently  a  friend  to  Baxter.  Perhaps  he's 
Baxter's  father?  "  suggested  Sam. 

"  Baxter's  father Gracious!     He  is!  " 

"  How  do  you  know?  " 

"  I'm  not  positive,  but  when  I  met  him  and 
the  thief  in  the  woods,  the  thief,  who  was  called 
Buddy,  started  to  call  that  fellow  Baxter,  but  the 
tall  man  wouldn't  have  it,  and  made  him  call  him 
Nolly.  His  right  name,  I  feel  certain,  is  Arnold 
Baxter." 

"  Then,  if  he  isn't  Baxter's  father,  he  must  be 
some  close  relative,  otherwise  he  wouldn't  give 
Baxter  that  money.  Now  it  is  easy  to  see  where 
the  bully  gets  all  of  his  cash.  That  tall  man 
must  be  rich." 

"  Yes,  but  who  knows  how  he  comes  by  his 
money?  He  is  the  chum  of  a  thief,  that's 
certain." 

A  search  was  made  for  Dan  Baxter,  but  he 
could  not  be  found.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  had 
been  in  the  buggy,  hiding  under  the  seat.  The 
boys  hung  around  for  quarter  of  an  hour  longer, 
and  then  resolved  to  return  to  Putnam  Hall. 

"  No  use  of  making,  a  row  about  it,"  said 
Tom.  "  I  remember  that  policeman  at  the 
steamboat  landing.  He  is  a  terribly  fat  fellow 


WINTER  SPORTS.  169 

and  evidently  a  hard  drinker.  He  couldn't  help 
us  much.  We  had  better  try  to  work  this  out 
on  our  own  account.  I'll  tackle  Baxter  the 
first  chance  I  get." 

When  the  Hall  was  reached  they  looked 
around  for  the  bully,  but  found  he  had  not  re- 
turned. They  had  now  to  go  in  for  their 
studies,  and  for  the  time  being  the  affair  was 
dropped. 

That  afternoon  found  them  on  the  lake,  and 
while  enjoying  the  skating  Dick  was  informed 
of  what  had  occurred.  "  A  bad  crowd,"  said 
the  elder  Rover.  "  Yes,  tackle  Baxter,  by  all 
means.  But  be  cautious  what  you  say,  for  you 
can't  prove  much,  remember." 

A  race  had  been  arranged  between  the  boys, 
and  Dick  was  one  of  the  contestants.  The  dis- 
tance was  from  one  end  of  the  cove  to  the  other, 
a  little  over  three-quarters  of  a  mile.  There 
were  ten  starters,  including  Fred,  Frank,  Larry, 
and  Mumps.  Mumps  had  a  reputation  as  a 
skater  gained  at  his  home  on  the  Hudson  River. 

"  All  ready?  "  shouted  the  starter. 

There  was  a  dead  silence. 

"  Go!  "  came  the  word,  and  away  went  the 
ten,  their  skates  flashing  brightly  in  the  setting 
sun.  Soon  Larry  Colby  was  in  advance,  with 
Mumps  just  over  his  shoulder. 

"It  is  Larry's  race!" 


170  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Mumps  is  a  close  second!  " 

"Shake  'em  up,  Fred!  What  are  you  lag- 
ging about,  Frank?  Go  it,  Leo!  " 

Skir!  skir!  skir!  went  the  skate  runners,  and 
now  a  crowd  of  lads  started  in  pursuit  of  the 
racers.  Soon  the  turning  point  was  gained. 
Larry  was  in  advance  still,  but  now  Mumps 
overtook  him,  and  suddenly  the  boy  from  the 
Hudson  who  had  such  a  reputation  as  a  racer 
shot  fifteen  feet  in  advance.  It  looked  as  if  the 
race  was  certainly  his,  and  Larry  and  the  others 
felt  much  downcast. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE    SKATING    RACE DAN    BAXTER    IS    CORNERED. 

The  wind  had  been  with  the  racers  thus  far, 
but  as  one  after  another  of  the  skaters  turned 
the  mark  they  found  the  wind  now  full  in  their 
faces,  and  it  was  blowing  freshly. 

"  Mumps  will  win,  beyond  a  doubt!  "  was  the 
cry,  as  the  lad  from  the  Hudson  River  forged 
still  further  ahead. 

"My  skate  is  loose!"  cried  Larry,  and  a 
second  later  the  skate  came  off  and  flew  fifty 
feet  away. 

By  this  time  Dick  and  Fred  were  coming  up, 
slowly  but  surely.  It  seemed  to  be  nip-and- 
tuck  between  them,  and  the  friends  of  each 
cheered  wildly. 

"  Go  it,  Dick;  you  can  come  in  second  any- 
way!" 

"  Make  him  follow  you,  Fred!  You  can  do  it 
if  you  try !  " 

On  and  on  went  the  racers,  Mumps  still  ten 
feet  ahead,  Fred  and  Dick  side  by  side,  and  the 
others  in  a  bunch  just  back  of  them. 

But  the  strain  was  now  beginning  to  tell  upon 


I72  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

Mumps,  who  had  pushed  himself  too  much  from 
the  start.  Halfway  to  the  finish  from  the  turn- 
ing point  Dick  and  Fred  began  to  crawl  up, 
until  they  were  less  than  a  yard  behind  him, 
one  at  either  hand. 

"  Go  it,  Mumps!     They  are  catching  you!  " 

Mumps  did  try  to  increase  his  speed,  but  his 
wind  was  gone  and  he  could  hardly  strike  out. 
The  finish  was  now  in  sight,  and  the  boys  began 
to  shout  on  every  side: 

"  Go  it,  every  one  of  you!  " 

"  Hurrah!  Mumps,  Dick,  and  Fred  are  a  tie!  " 

It  was  true  the  three  boys  were  side  by  side. 
But  presently  both  Dick  and  Fred  made  extra 
efforts  and  forged  ahead. 

"  It's  your  race,  Fred!  " 

"It's  yours,  Dick!" 

But  it  was  neither's  race — for  with  a  shout 
both  whizzed  over  the  line  at  the  same  instant. 

"A  tie!" 

"  And  Mumps  aint  in  it!  " 

"  Three  cheers  for  Dick  and  Fred!  "  shouted 
Frank  Harrington,  and  the  cheers  were  given 
with  a  will.  By  this  time  the  playhour  was 
over,  and  all  of  the  skaters  rushed  back  to  the 
Hall,  to  get  ready  for  the  drill  previous  to  sup- 
per. It  is  needless  to  add  that  each  lad  brought 
an  extra  big  appetite  with  him. 

All  of  the  Rover  boys  noticed  that  Dan  Bax- 


THE   SKATING  RACE.  173 

tef  did  not  turn  up  at  roll  call,  nor  did  the  bully 
put  in  an  appearance  that  night.  "  Got  a  day 
off,"  said  Mumps,  but  that  was  all  he  could  tell. 

Late  on  the  following  day  Tom  was  walking 
toward  the  gymnasium  when  he  caught  sight  of 
Baxter  just  entering  the  school  grounds.  He 
•at  once  ran  toward  the  bully. 

"  Baxter,  I  want  to  have  a  talk  with  you,"  he 
said  sharply,  as  he  looked  the  bully  squarely  in 
the  face. 

"  Do  you?  "  was  the  uneasy  answer.  "  All 
right,  fire  ahead." 

"  Hadn't  you  better  come  up  to  the  dormi- 
tory? We  can  have  it  all  to  ourselves,  for  the 
others  are  either  in  the  gymnasium  or  on  the 
lake." 

"  Well,  I  was  going  up  to  our  dormitory  any- 
way," answered  Baxter,  and  stalked  off,  leaving 
Tom  to  follow  him.  Once  they  were  in  the 
d'ormitory  occupied  by  the  bully  and  his  set, 
Baxter  locked  the  door. 

"  Now  out  with  what  you  have  got  to  say,  and 
be  quick  about  it,"  he  growled. 

"  I  want  to  know  who  that  man  was  you  met 
it  the  tavern  in  Cedarville." 

"  Didn't  meet  any  man  in  particular.  Met 
'half  a  dozen  in  general." 

.  "  You  know  the  man  I  mean — the  tall  fellow, 
with  a  scar  on  his  chin." 


174  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Oh,  that  fellow?  I  think  his  name  is  Nolly. 
He's  a  book  agent,  and  I  promised  to  buy  some 
histories  from  him,"  and  Baxter  pretended  to 
yawn,  as  if  he  was  not  especially  interested. 

"  You  are  not  telling  the  truth,  Baxter,"  an- 
swered Tom,  undaunted  by  this  show  of  nerve. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  I  lie,  Rover?  Take 
care,  or  you  may  be  sorry  for  what  you  say !  " 

"  You  can't  pull  the  wool  over  my  eyes,  Bax- 
ter. That  man's  name  is  no  *nore  Nolly  than 
mine  is  George  Washington  or  yours  William 
McKinley." 

"  Isn't  it?  Then  perhaps  you  know  his  real 
name." 

"  I  do.     His  name  is  Arnold  Baxter." 

Had  a  bomb  exploded  at  Baxter's  ear  he 
would  not  have  appeared  more  astonished. 

"Say,  who  told  you  that?"  he  demanded 
fiercely  and  caught  Tom  by  the  arm, 

"  Let  go  of  me,  Dan  Baxter." 

"  I  say,  who  told  you  that?  " 

"  I  heard  his  name  in  the  woods.  He  was 
with  the  man  who  robbed  my  brother  Dick  of 
his  watch,  when  we  were  at  home." 

"  Stuff  and  nonsense!  "  growled  the  bully,  but 
he  was  very  pale,  and  his  voice  shook  with  emo- 
tion. "  That  man's  name  is  William  Nolly.  He 
used  to  know  my  father.  That  is  why  I  helped 
him  along  by  giving  him  an  order  for  the  his- 
tories. I  don't  really  want  the  books." 


THE   SKATIXG  RACE.  1 73 

"  If  you  was  helping  him,  how  is  it  that  Sam 
and  I  saw  you  taking  a  roll  of  bills  from,  him 
down  at  the  tavern?  " 

Again  Baxter  started.  "  You  didn't  see  no 
such  thing!  "  he  roared,  regardless  of  his  gram- 
mar. "  I — that  is — he  gave  me  some  change, 
that  is  all.  Here  are  the  books  I  bought,"  and 
he  pointed  to  a  package  he  had  been  carrying. 

"  It's  a  made-up  story,"  retorted  Tom.  "  He 
gave  you  money,  and  my  opinion  is  that  that 
man  is  your  father,  and  that  he  is  no  better  than 
the  man  with  whom  he  associates." 

The  words  had  scarcely  left  Tom's  lips  than 
Baxter  leaped  upon  him  like  an  enraged  animal 
and  hurled  him  to  the  floor.  "  I've  a  good  mind 
to — to  kill  you  for  that,  Rover! "  he  hissed. 
"  Take  it  back,  or  I'll  choke  you  to  death !  "  and 
his  strong  hand  sought  Tom's  throat. 

"  Will  you!  "  came  in  a  gasp,  and  now  Tom 
turned  over  and  threw  the  bully  to  one  side. 
"  I  guess  two  can  play  at  this  game.  Take 
that !  "  and  he  struck  Baxter  a  heavy  blow  on 
the  side  of  the  face.  In  a  moment  they  had 
clinched  and  were  trying  their  best  to  throw 
each  other. 

Suddenly  came  a  rattle  of  the  door  knob. 
"Boys!  boys!  what  does  this  mean?"  It  was 
George  Strong's  voice.  "  Open  the  door  in- 
stantly." 


1 76  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Keep  your  month  shut !  "  whispered  Baxter, 
as  he  again  shook  his  fist  in  Tom's  face.  "  Not 
one  word — on  your  life !  " 

Then  he  disengaged  himself,  adjusted  his  col- 
lar and  tie,  which  had  become  rumpled,  and  un- 
locked the  door.  At  once  the  head  assistant 
strode  into  the  dormitory. 

"Have  you  two  been  fighting?"  he  demanded. 

"  We  were  only  boxing  a  bit,  sir,"  answered 
Baxter,  before  Tom  could  speak.  "  No  harm, 
intended,  sir." 

"  You  were  making  a  good  deal  of  noise,"  an- 
swered George  Strong  dryly.  "  What  have  you 
to  say,  Rover?  " 

"  I  have  this  to  say,  Mr.  Strong,"  answered 
Tom  boldly.  "  I  would  like  to  interview  Cap- 
tain Putnam  without  delay." 

"  Don't  you  dare "  began  Baxter,  when  a 

wave  of  the  teacher's  hand  cut  him  short. 

"  About  what,  Rover?  " 

"  About  this  affair,  and  about  Baxter,  sir.  I 
am  not  a  telltale,  but  certain  things  have  hap- 
pened which  I  think  Captain  Putnam  should 
know  for  his  own  sake  and  for  the  reputation  of 
his  school." 

"  You — you  imp ! "  hissed  Baxter.  He 
wanted  to  spring  at  Tom,  but  now  George 
Strong  caught  him  and  held  him  fast. 

"  Baxter,  you  had  best  come  with  me — and 
you  too,  Rover." 


THE   SKATING  RACE.  177 

"To  see  Captain  Putnam?"  queried  Tom. 

"  Yes." 

"  I  don't  want  to  go,"  blustered  the  bully. 
"  Let  Rover  tell  his  yarn — I  don't  care.  It  will 
be  only  another  of  his  lies." 

"  Then  you  shall  go  to  the  guardroom,"  said 
the  teacher.  "  Rover,  you  may  go  to  see  the 
captain  alone." 

"  I  will,  sir — at  once,"  and  Tom  made  away. 
He  had  no  sooner  departed  than  George  Strong 
marched  Baxter  off  to  the  guardroom  previously 
described.  As  the  pair  passed  down  the  stairs 
they  encountered  Mumps  coming  up. 

"  Hullo,  Dan,  what  does  this  mean?  "  asked 
Mumps  in  wonder. 

"  I'm  under  arrest,"  laughed  Baxter  bitterly. 
"  And  for  nothing,  too." 

"Silence!"  commanded  George  Strong. 
"  If  you  have  done  nothing  wrong,  you  will  soon 
be  released." 

"  You  bet  I  will,"  rejoined  Baxter  insolently, 
and  then,  watching  his  chance,  he  made  a  sign 
which  Mumps  well  understood.  The  sign 
meant  "  Come  and  help  me  if  you  can." 

Mumps  nodded  to  show  that  he  understood. 
Then  he  pretended  to  go  up  to  the  dormitory, 
while  the  head  teacher  conducted  Baxter  to  the 
guardroom,  locked  the  impudent  one  in,  and 
walked  away  with  the  key. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  BULLY  LEAVES  PUTNAM  HALL. 

"  So»  you  wish  to  see  me,  Rover?  Very  well, 
come  right  in  and  sit  down,"  said  Captain  Put- 
nam, who  sat  in  front  of  his  desk,  making  up 
some  of  his  accounts  for  the  month  just  past. 

Tom  came  in  and  sat  down.  It  must  be  con- 
fessed he  was  a  trifle  nervous,  but  this  soon  wore 
away. 

"  I  came  to  tell  you  something  and  to  ask 
your  advice,"  he  began.  "  You  remember  what 
happened  to  me  when  I  ran  away  into  the  woods 
just  after  arriving  at  the  Hall?  " 

"  Very  well,  Thomas,"  and  the  captain  smiled. 

"  Well,  when  Sam  and  I  went  to  Cedarville  to 
buy  our  skates  we  saw  Dan  Baxter  in  the  tavern 
there,  in  company  with  the  man  with  a  scar  on 
his  chin.  This  man  gave  Baxter  some  bank 
bills." 

"What!     At  the  tavern?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Please  tell  your  story  in  detail,  Rover,"  and 
now  Captain  Putnam  swung  around  so  that  he 
might  get  a  full  view  of  his  pupil's  face. 

178 


THE  BULLY  LEAVES  PUTNAM  HALL.      I?9 

And  Tom  told  his  story  from  beginning  to 
end,  just  as  I  have  set  it  down  in  the  foregoing 
pages. 

"  I  am  certain  this  man  is  some  relative  of 
Baxter,"  he  concluded.  "  And  I  am  equally 
certain  he  is  not  an  honest  fellow." 

"Humph!"  Captain  Putnam  arose  and  be- 
gan to  pace  the  heavily  carpeted  floor.  "  Rover, 
this  is  a  serious  charge." 

"  I  understand  that,  sir.  But  you  can't 
blame  us  boys  for  trying  to  get  back  Dick's 
watch  and  trying  to — to " 

"  Bring  the  guilty  party  to  justice?  Cer- 
tainly not!  But  it  would  seem  the  man  with  a 
scar  is  not  the  thief." 

"  No,  but  he  is  the  boon  companion  of  the 
thief." 

"  That  is  true — unless  there  is  some  grave 
mistake.  But  you  are  right  about  one  thing — 
the  man  is  really  Baxter's  father,  and  his  name  is 
Arnold  Baxter." 

"  And  why  does  he  travel  around  under  the 
name  of  Nolly?  " 

"  That  is  the  mystery.  I  met  Mr.  Baxter  only 
once — when  he  placed  his  son  in  my  care.  At 
that  time  I  was  certain  he  was  wearing  a  wig  and 
a  false  mustache.  The  scar  was  on  his  chin,  al- 
though he  tried  to  hide  it.  I  have  never  seen 
him  since.  When  any  money  is  due  from  him 


l8o  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

he  sends  it  to  me  by  mail,  and  does  not  ask  for 
any  receipt.  I  once  asked  Baxter  about  his 
parents,  and  he  said  his  mother  was  dead  and  he 
didn't  know  exactly  where  his  father  was,  as  the 
latter  was  a  great  traveler  and  went  every- 
where." 

"  I  see." 

"  If  you  ere  right,  and  the  man  is  a  rascal,  it 
is  to  his  credit  that  he  is  trying  to  bring  his  son 
up  as  a  gentleman.  Perhaps  he  doesn't  want 
Daniel  to  know  anything  of  the  past.  Do  you 
follow  me?  " 

"  I  do,  sir.  But  if  this  is  so,  would  he  take 
his  son  into  the  tavern?  " 

"  Perhaps — everybody  is  not  so  opposed  to 
drinking  as  I  am." 

"  Well,  if  Mr.  Baxter  is  a  bad  man,  I  rather 
think  Dan  is  a  chip  of  the  old  block,"  rejoined 
Tom  bluntly.  "  But  be  that  as  it  may,  all  I 
want  to  get  hold  of  is  that  thief  and  Dick's  time- 
piece." 

"  I  will  question  Baxter  closely,"  answered 
Captain  Putnam.  "  But  I  do  not  wish  to  hold 
him  guilty  of  something  of  which  most  likely  he 
knows  nothing." 

George  Strong  had  by  this  time  come  in,  and 
he  was  sent  to  bring  Baxter.  He  was  gone  but 
a  few  minutes  when  he  came  back  in  high  ex- 
citement. 


THE   BULLY  LEAVES  PUTNAM  HALL.      181 

"  Baxter  has  broken  out  of  the  guardroom!  " 
he  exclaimed.  "  I  cannot  find  him  anywhere!  " 

"  Did  you  look  in  the  dormitory?  " 

"  Yes,  sir;  and  his  valise  is  gone,  and  his  trunk 
is  empty  of  all  of  value." 

"Humph!"  Captain  Putnam's  brow  con- 
tracted. "  This  looks  very  suspicious." 

At  that  moment  one  of  the  smaller  cadets 
came  in  with  a  note  in  his  hand. 

"  I  just  met  Baxter  running  down  the  road!  " 
exclaimed  the  little  fellow.  "  He  gave  me  this 
for  you,  Captain  Putnam." 

At  once  the  proprietor  of  the  Hall  tore  open 
the  communication  and  read  it  half  aloud: 

"  Good-by  to  Putnam  Hall  forever.  It  is 
full  of  fellows  who  are  no  good  and  run  by  a  man 
I  never  liked.  No  use  of  following  me,  for  I 
am  going  to  join  my  father,  and  I  don't  mean  to 
come  back.  DAN  BAXTER. 

"  P.  S.— Tell  the  Rover  boys  I  shan't  forget 
them,  and  some  day  I  shall  take  pains  to  square 
accounts.  D.  B." 

"  The  foolish  boy,"  was  the  captain's  com- 
ment. "  But  perhaps  he  has  done  what  is  best, 
for  it  might  have  been  necessary  to  dismiss  him." 

For  a  long  while  those  at  the  Hall  wondered 


1 82  THE   ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

how  Baxter  had  escaped.  Only  Mumps  knew, 
and  he  kept  the  secret  to  himself.  A  duplicate 
key  to  the  door  of  the  guardroom  had  done  the 
trick. 

As  Baxter  was  not  followed,  nothing  more 
was  seen  of  him  for  the  time  being,  and  after  sev- 
eral days  the  cadets  settled  down  to  their  regular 
work  as  though  nothing  out  of  the  ordinary  had 
occurred.  A  hunt  was  instituted  by  Dick  for 
Arnold  Baxter  and  Buddy  the  thief,  but  no 
trace  of  the  pair  came  to  light. 

The  Christmas  holidays  were  now  at  hand, 
and  the  closing  days  at  Putnam  Hall  were  given 
over  to  several  entertainments.  One  of  these 
consisted  of  a  stage  performance  of  a  play  called 
"  A  Christmas  in  a  Tenement,"  given  by  twelve 
of  the  boys.  Three  of  the  lads,  including  Tom, 
took  female  parts,  and  the  audience  laughed 
itself  sore  over  the  antics  that  were  cut  up. 
Many  living  in  the  vicinity  came  to  the  enter- 
tainment, including  all  of  the  Lanings  and  also 
Dora  Stanhope  and  her  mother,  who  was  now 
almost  as  well  as  ever. 

"It  was  fine!"  said  Nellie  Laning  to  Tom. 
"  But,  oh,  Tom,  what  a  girl  you  did  make!  " 

"  Wouldn't  you  like  me  for  a  sister?  "  queried 
Tom. 

"  A  sister!  Oh,  dear!  "  cried  Nellie,  and  be- 
gan to  laugh  again. 


THE  BULLY  LEAVES  PUTNAM  HALL.      183 

"You  looked  like  a  female  giraffe!"  put  in 
Grace  Laning.  *'  Sam  acted  a  little  boy  splen- 
didly. Sam,  don't  you  want  a  stick  of 
candy?  " 

"  Yes,  mammy,  please,"  squeaked  Sam,  just  as 
he  had  on  the  stage,  and  another  laugh  went 
around. 

In  the  meantime  Dick  had  drawn  Dora  to  one 
side.  "  What  is  the  news?  "  he  asked  anxiously. 

"  Nothing  new,"  sighed  Dora.  "  Josiah  Crab- 
tree  has  gone  to  Boston  on  business.  I  am 
afraid  I  cannot  keep  that  marriage  off  much 
longer.  He  seems  bound  to  marry  mother,  and 
even  if  she  feels  like  drawing  back  she  hasn't  the 
courage  to  tell  him  so." 

"  It's  a  shame,"  murmured  Dick.  "  Well,  re- 
member what  I  said,  Dora,  if  I  can  ever  help  you 
I  will."  And  he  squeezed  her  hand.  Before 
they  separated  he  gave  her  a  silk  handkerchief 
he  had  purchased  at  Cedarville,  one  with  her 
initial  in  the  corner,  and  she  blushingly  handed 
over  a  scarf  made  by  herself.  Dick  was  very 
proud  of  that  scarf,  although  Tom  and  Sam 
teased  him  about  it  unmercifully. 

Of  course  the  boys  had  received  letters  from 
their  uncle  and  aunt  regularly,  yet  they  watched 
eagerly  for  the  hour  that  should  bring  them 
within  sight  of  the  farm,  with  its  well-known 
buildings.  The  journey  to  Oak  Run  proved  un- 


184  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

eventful,  and  here  Jack,  the  hired  man,  met 
them  with  the  carriage. 

"  Glad  to  see  you,  lads,"  he  said  with  a  grin. 
"  Seems  quite  natural  like." 

"So  it  does,  Jack!"  cried  Tom.  "Let  'em 
out,  for  we  want  to  get  home!  " 

The  snow  was  falling,  and  by  the  time  the 
farmhouse  was  reached  it  was  several  inches 
deep.  "  We're  in  for  a  sleigh  ride  before  we  go 
back,"  said  Sam. 

Their  uncle  and  aunt  stood  at  the  door  to  re- 
ceive them.  "  Welcome  home!  Merry  Christ- 
mas!" came  from  both,  and  each  of  the  boys 
gave  a  warm  handshake  to  Randolph  Rover  and 
hearty  kiss  to  their  Aunt  Martha.  Past  troubles 
were  all  forgotten. 

This  was  Christmas  Eve,  and  the  boys  stayed 
up  late,  cracking  nuts  by  the  blazing  log  fire  and 
having  a  good  time  generally. 

In  the  morning  Dick  was  the  first  one  awake. 
"  For  gracious'  sake!  "  he  ejaculated,  staring  at 
the  chimney  piece.  There  hung  his  own  stock- 
ing and  also  one  each  belonging  to  Tom  and 
Sam.  Each  was  filled  with  goodies  such  as  he 
knew  only  his  Aunt  Martha  could  make. 

"  Sam  and  Dick,  wake  up,  we've  struck  a 
bonanza!  "  he  cried,  and  hauled  both  from  under 
the  covers.  All  laughed  heartily,  and  marched 


THE  BULLY  LEAVES  PUTNAM  HALL.      185 

down  into  the  dining  room  with  the  stockings 
over  their  shoulders. 

"  A  merry  Christmas  to  Uncle  Randolph  from 
all  of  us,"  said  Tom,  handing  over  a  much- 
coveted  volume  on  agriculture.  "  And  a  merry 
Christmas  to  Aunt  Martha  from  three  bad 
boys,"  added  Sam,  and  turned  over  a  fancy 
work-basket,  both  presents  having  been  pur- 
chased at  Ithaca  on  the  journey  home. 

"Ha!  just  what  I  desired!"  said  Randolph 
Rover,  adjusting  his  spectacles.  "  I  am  very 
much  obliged,  boys — I  am,  indeed !  " 

"Such  a  pretty  basket!"  murmured  Mrs. 
Rover.  "  It  was  very  good  of  you !  "  and  she 
hugged  each  lad  in  his  turn.  Then  came  more 
presents — neckties,  collars,  and  gloves  for  the 
boys,  besides  a  book  for  each  written  by  a  favor- 
ite juvenile  writer. 

"  The  snow  is  two  feet  deep!  "  said  Dick,  after 
an  inspection,  when  breakfast  had  come  to  an 
end.  "We're  booked  for  the  house  to-day!" 

"  We'll  wait  until  afternoon,"  said  Mr.  Rover. 

It  was  a  happy  time,  even  if  they  were  snowed 
in.  Soon  the  warm  sun  came  out  and  brought 
the  snow  down  a  little.  "  Best  kind  of  sleigh- 
ing now!"  said  the  hired  man,  and  drove 
around  the  biggest  sleigh  on  the  place.  All 
tumbled  in,  and  the  party  did  not  return  until 
after  midnight. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

SOMETHING    ABOUT    THE    PAST. 

During  holiday  week  the  boys  took  occasion 
to  tell  their  uncle  all  of  the  particulars  concern- 
ing the  tramp  called  Buddy,  Arnold  Baxter,  and 
his  son  the  bully.  It  is  needless  to  state  that 
Randolph  Rover  listened  to  their  story  with 
interest. 

"  I  would  like  to  meet  this  man  with  a  scar  on 
his  chin,"  he  said.  "  Speaking  of  him  reminds 
me  of  something  that  happened  years  ago." 

"  What  was  it,  Uncle  Randolph?  "  questioned 
Tom. 

"  Your  father  had  an  enemy  who  had  a  scar 
on  his  chin." 

"  What !  "  cried  Sam.  "  Could  it  have  been 
this  Arnold  Baxter?  " 

"  Hardly,  although  such  a  thing  is  possible. 
This  man  was  a  Westerner,  and  laid  claim  to 
some  property  owned  by  your  father.  They 
had  a  quarrel,  and  the  fellow  shot  your  father  in 
the  arm  and  then  ran  away.  I  never  learned  all 
of  the  particulars." 

"  Arnold  Baxter  and  this  Buddy  spoke  about 
a  mining  claim,  and  about  some  papers,"  burst 

186 


SOMETHING  ABOUT   THE  PAST.  187 

out  Tom.     "  I'd  like  to  wager  he  is  the  same 
chap! " 

"  If  he  is,  you  want  to  beware  of  him,"  re- 
sponded Randolph  Rover  gravely.  "  He  is  your 
father's  deadliest  enemy." 

"  I'll  remember  that,"  said  Dick,  and  his 
brothers  nodded.  The  matter  was  talked  over 
for  several  hours,  but  brought  little  satisfaction. 

On  New  Year's  Day  came  another  fall  of  snow, 
and  the  lads  spent  the  afternoon  in  a  regular 
snowballing  match  among  themselves  and  with 
the  hired  man.  Poor  Jack  caught  it  on  all  sides, 
and  after  quarter  of  an  hour's  bombardment  was 
glad  enough  to  run  to  the  barn  for  shelter. 
"  But  it's  great  sport,"  he  grinned,  as  he  almost 
stood  on  his  head  trying  to  get  from  the  back  of 
his  neck  a  soft  snowball  which  Tom  had  planted 
there. 

The  following  day  they  started  back  for  Put- 
nam Hall,  and  on  the  way  met  Larry,  Frank, 
Fred,  and  a  number  of  others.  When  Ithaca 
was  reached  a  surprise  awaited  the  crowd.  The 
weather  was  so  cold  that  the  ice  impeded  trans- 
portation, and  the  Golden  Star  was  not  making 
her  usual  trips  to  Cedarville  and  other  points. 

"  Here's  a  state  of  things! "  cried  Tom. 
"  What's  to  do — walk  to  Putnam  Hall?  " 

"  Well,  hardly,  seeing  that  it  is  a  good  num- 
ber of  miles  and  the  weather  is  bitterly  cold." 


1 88  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Well,  if  we  can't  walk  and  can't  ride,  how 
are  we  to  get  there?  "  came  from  Sam. 

"  That's  the  conundrum,  Brudder  Bones," 
laughed  Larry,  imitating  a  negro  minstrel. 
"  I'se  gib  it  up,  sah!" 

"  It's  no  laughing  matter,"  said  Dick.  "  We 
might  stay  in  Ithaca  over  night,  but  traveling 
may  be  no  better  in  the  morning." 

"  Let  us  send  a  telegram  to  Captain  Putnam 
for  instructions,"  suggested  Fred,  and  soon  the 
following  message  was  prepared  and  sent  to  the 
Hall  by  way  of  Cedarville: 

"  Six  of  us  are  held  up  at  Ithaca  by  the  cold. 
How  shall  we  come  on?  " 

This  message  was  forwarded  without  delay, 
and  while  awaiting  an  answer  Dick  and  his 
brothers  took  a  walk  through  the  town. 

They  were  passing  down  the  main  street  when 
Sam  uttered  a  short  cry. 

"  Hullo,  there  is  Josiah  Crabtree!  " 

"  Where? "  questioned  Dick  with  deep 
interest. 

"  Across  the  way.  He  has  just  entered  the 
jewelry  store  on  the  corner." 

"  Say,  perhaps  he's  buying  a  wedding  ring," 
blurted  out  Tom  before  he  stopped  to  think 
twice. 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  THE  PAST.  189 

"Tom,  that  matter  is  no  joke,"  came  from 
Dick,  as  his  face  grew  red.  "  I  sincerely  hope, 
for  Dora  Stanhope's  sake,  that  he  never  marries 
Dora's  mother." 

"  Oh,  so  do  I,"  answered  Tom  readily. 
"  Why,  he  isn't  fit  to  be  stepfather  to  a  dog!  " 

"  Let  us  look  into  the  window  and  see  what 
he  is  doing,"  suggested  Dick  uneasily,  for  he 
could  not  get  it  out  of  his  head  but  that  his 
brother's  guess  might  be  correct. 

The  window  was  broad  and  clear,  and  they 
looked  through  it  into  the  shop  with  ease.  Jo- 
siah  Crabtree  stood  at  the  counter,  talking  to  a 
clerk,  who  presently  brought  forth  a  tray  of 
plain  rings. 

"  It  is  a  wedding  ring,  as  sure  as  you  are 
born! "  cried  Tom. 

"  I'm  going  in,"  said  Dick  in  a  low  tone. 
"  Wait  for  me  here,"  and  he  entered  the  estab- 
lishment. There  were  counters  on  both  sides, 
and  he  walked  to  a  position  directly  opposite  to 
that  occupied  by  the  ex-schoolmaster. 

"  I  wish  to  see  some  cheap  scarfpins,"  he  said 
to  the  clerk  who  came  to  wait  on  him,  and  the 
man  hurried  off  to  bring  on  the  articles  men- 
tioned. 

"And  is  this  the  latest  style  of  wedding 
ring?  "  Dick  heard  Josiah  Crabtree  say  in  a  low 
voice. 


190  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Yes,  sir,  the  very  latest — and  very  tasty," 
answered  the  clerk  who  was  waiting  on  him. 

"  I  wish  two,  one  for  the  lady  and  one  for— 
ahem ! — myself." 

"  Yes,  sir — quite  the  style  now  for  a  gentle- 
man to  have  a  ring.  Want  them  engraved,  of 
course." 

"  Yes.     Here  is  a  paper  with  the  sizes  and 
what  is  to  be  engraved  upon  each.     How  much 
will  they  be  with  the  engraving?  " 
"  Six  dollars  each,  sir." 

"  Six  dollars!  Don't  you  make  a  reduction 
on  taking  two? "  asked  Crabtree,  who  was  a 
good  deal  of  a  miser. 

"  We  can  throw  off  a  dollar  on  the  pair,"  an- 
swered the  clerk,  after  consulting  the  proprietor 
of  the  shop. 

"  I  didn't  expect  to  pay  over  ten  dollars." 
"  We  can  give  you  this  style  for  ten  dollars." 
"  No,  I  want  the  latest — to  please  the  lady." 
"Humph!"  muttered  Dick.     "You'll  never 
please  Mrs.  Stanhope  with  any  ring." 

"  Eleven  dollars  is  the  lowest  we  can  take." 
"  And  when  will  the  rings  be  ready  for  me?  " 
"  Day  after  to-morrow.     We  might  do  them 
quicker,  but  we  have  a  great  deal  of  engraving 
ahead." 

"  Day  after  to-morrow  will  do,  for  I  do  not 
wish  them  until  next  week,"  answered  Josiah 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  THE  PAST.  19 1 

Crabtree.  "  Here  is  my  card.  I  am  stopping 
at  the  American  House  in  this  city." 

"  Yes,  sir.     Do  you  want  the  rings  sent?  " 

"  No,  I  will  call  for  them,"  concluded  the  ex- 
teacher,  and  hurried  from  the  place.  Sam  and 
Tom  saw  him  coming,  and  dodged  out  of  sight 
around  the  corner. 

Dick  had  taken  in  all  that  was  said  and  had  in 
the  meantime  picked  out  a  cheap  scarfpin 
which  cost  but  ten  cents.  As  soon  as  Crabtree 
was  gone  he  paid  for  the  pin,  shoved  it  into  his 
pocket,  and  rejoined  his  brothers,  to  whom  he 
told  the  particulars  of  what  had  occurred. 

"  He  intends  to  marry  Mrs.  Stanhope  next 
week,"  he  declared  bitterly.  "  I  would  give 
almost  all  I'm  worth  to  stop  that  wedding." 

"  Gracious,  but  you  do  think  a  heap  of 
Dora!  "  said  Tom  slyly.  "  Well,  I  don't  blame 
you.  She  is  a  splendid  girl — eh,  Sam?  " 

"  That's  right,"  answered  Sam  slangily. 
"  But,  Dick,  why  not  put  up  a  job  on  old  Crab- 
tree?  " 

"What  kind  of  a  job?" 

"  Find  out  just  when  he  wants  to  get  married 
and  then  send  him  a  letter  from  Yale  or  some 
other  college,  requesting  him  to  come  on  at 
once  if  he  wants  a  certain  position.  That  will 
cause  another  delay,  and  maybe  Mrs.  Stanhope 
will  get  sick  of  him." 


I92  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Oh,  if  only  we  could  do  something-  like 
that!  "  cried  his  elder  brother  quickly.  "  I  wish 
I  could  send  him  away  out  West." 

"  We'll  manage  it  somehow,"  put  in  Tom. 
"  Sam,  what  wonderful  ideas  you  have  for  your 
years!  " 

"  Oh,  I  take  after  my  big  brothers,"  answered 
the  youngest  Rover  modestly. 

Late  in  the  evening  a  telegram  was  received 
from  Captain  Putnam: 

"  Remain  in  Ithaca  over  night,  at  the  Ameri- 
can House.  Will  send  word  how  to  get  here  in 
the  morning." 

"The  American  House!"  ejaculated  Dick. 
"  That  is  where  old  Crabtree  is  stopping." 

"  If  only  we  can  have  some  fun  with  the  old 
chap!"  sighed  Tom. 

The  six  boys  marched  to  the  hotel  in  a  body, 
told  their  story,  and  showed  the  telegram  to  the 
clerk. 

"All  right,"  said  the  clerk.  "We've  had 
cadets  stop  here  before.  I  have  a  big  room  on 
the  second  floor,  with  two  large  beds  in  it.  Will 
that  do?  " 

"  That  suits  me,"  said  Larry. 

"  Is  Mr.  Josiah  Crabtree  stopping  here? " 
questioned  Tom. 


SOMETHING  ABOUT   THE  PAST.  193 

"  Yes.  He  has  the  room  next  to  the  one  I 
mentioned — his  is  No.  13,  and  yours  will  be  No. 
12." 

"All  right;  thanks,"  answered  Tom  dryly, 
and  immediately  began  to  lay  plans  for  playing 
a  joke  on  the  old  teacher. 

"  We  don't  want  to  let  Mr.  Crabtree  know 
we  are  stopping  here,"  he  said  to  the  clerk  later 
on.  "  He  is  no  longer  a  teacher  at  the  Hall, 
and  we  would  rather  not  meet." 

"  Shall  I  put  you  in  another  room?  " 

"  Oh,  no;  only  don't  tell  him  we  are  here." 

"  I'll  remember  that,  sir." 

As  soon  as  the  boys  had  been  shown  to  the 
big  room,  Tom  turned  to  his  fellows. 

"  I  want  each  of  you  to  chip  in  ten  cents,"  he 
said. 

"  What  for?  "  came  in  a  chorus. 

"  For  the  purpose  of  getting  square  with  old 
Crabby." 

"  I  don't  see  the  connection,"  said  Larry. 
"  Kindly  be  a  little  more  definite." 

'''  You'll  see,  or  hear,  the  connection  a  little 
later  on,"  answered  Tom.  "  Quick,  shell  out, 
and  I'll  promise  you  your  money's  worth,  or  re- 
turn the  amount  with  legal  interest." 

The  fifty  cents  was  quickly  collected,  and, 
adding  ten  cents  of  his  own,  Tom  ran  from  the 
hotel.  "  No  fish  market  open  at  this  time  of 


194  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

night,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  I'll  have  to  try  a 
restaurant,"  and  hurried  into  the  first  place 
which  came  into  sight. 

"  Have  you  any  crabs? "  he  asked  of  the 
waiter  who  came  to  him. 

"  Yes,  sah;  very  fine,  sah.  Want  some  soft- 
shell,  sah?" 

"  I  don't  care  whether  they  are  soft-shell  or  as 
hard  as  rocks.  I  want  live  crabs,  the  most 
active  kind  you  have  in  stock." 

The  waiter  stared  in  amazement,  then  called 
the  owner  of  the  restaurant. 

"  You  want  live  crabs?  " 

"  I  do — strong,  active,  go-ahead  crabs,  and  I 
want  them  in  a  box." 

"  Is  this  a  joke?  " 

"  It  will  be — when  the  crabs  get  to  work/'  an- 
swered Tom  with  a  wink. 

"  Oh,  I  understand,"  laughed  the  restaurant 
keeper.  "  How  many?  " 

"  What  are  they  worth?  " 

"  Good  nippers  are  worth  ten  cents  apiece." 

"  Give  me  six,  and  mind  you  put  them  in  a 
strong  box  for  me." 

Five  minutes  later  Tom  left  the  restaurant 
with  the  live  crabs  tucked  safely  away  in  a  shoe 
box  under  his  overcoat. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

FUN    AT    THE     HOTEL. 

It  was  no  easy  matter  for  Tom  to  get  into  the 
room  Josiah  Crabtree  was  occupying,  but  after 
trying  a  good  number  of  keys, — fished  up  here, 
there,  and  everywhere, — one  was  at  last  found 
that  fitted  the  lock. 

Striking  a  match,  Tom  entered  the  room 
quickly,  drew  back  the  sheet  of  the  bed,  dumped 
in  the  crabs,  and  then  pulled  the  sheet  up  to  its 
original  place. 

"  He's  coming!  "  whispered  Sam,  who  stood 
guard  at  the  door.  "  Hide,  Tom,"  and  then  he 
ran  back  to  the  big  room  adjoining. 

Finding  he  could  not  escape,  Tom  threw  the 
box  under  the  bed  and  rushed  to  a  closet  in  the 
corner.  Here  he  crouched  down  behind  a  large 
trunk  left  in  the  place  on  storage.  He  had 
scarcely  secreted  himself  when  Josiah  Crabtree 
came  in.  He  had  shoved  his  key  in  the  lock, 
but  had  failed  to  notice  that  the  lock-bolt  was 
already  turned  back. 

"  Oh,  what  a  cold  night,"  muttered  the  ex- 


196  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

school  teacher  as  he  lit  the  gas.     "  A  warm,  bed 
will  feel  fine." 

"  I  reckon  it  will  be  warm  enough,"  thought 
Tom. 

.  As  the  room  was  scantily  heated,  Crabtree 
lost  no  time  in  disrobing.  Having  donned  a 
long  night  robe,  he  turned  off  the  gas,  flung  the 
sheets  back,  and  leaped  into  bed. 

Exactly  ten  'seconds  of  silence  followed. 
Then  came  a  yell  calculated  to  raise  the  dead. 

"Whow!  What's  this?  Oh,  what's  got  me 
by  the  legs?  Oh,  oh!  oh!  I'm  being  eaten  up 
alive!  Let  go  there!  Oh,  dear!  " 

And  with  additional  yells,  Josiah  Crabtree 
leaped  straight  out  of  bed,  one  crab  hanging  to 
his  left  knee,  several  on  his  feet,  and  one,  which 
he  had  caught  hold  of,  clinging  to  the  back  of 
his  hand.  At  once  he  began  to  do  an  Indian 
war-dance  around  the  apartment,  knocking  the 
furniture  right  and  left. 

"  Let  go  there!  What  on  earth  can  they  be? 
Oh,  my  toe  is  half  off — I  know  it  is!  Let  go!  " 
And  then  he  struggled  toward  the  gas  jet,  but 
before  he  could  light  it  Tom  had  slipped  out  of 
the  apartment,  closing  the  door  behind  him. 
The  banging  of  furniture  continued,  and  then 
came  a  crash,  as  the  washstand  went  over,  carry- 
ing with  it  a  bowl,  a  soap  tray,  and  a  large 
pitcher  filled  with  water.  The  icy  water  gushed 


FUN  AT   THE  HOTEL.  197 

over  Crabtree's  feet,  making  him  shiver  with 
cold,  but  the  crabs  were  undaunted  and  only 
clung  the  closer. 

The  noise  soon  aroused  the  entire  hotel,  and 
the  clerk,  several  bell-boys,  and  finally  the  pro- 
prietor, rushed  to  the  scene.  The  door  was 
flung  wide  open. 

"  Have  you  been  drinking,  sir?  How  dare 
you  disturb  the  hotel  in  this  fashion? "  de- 
manded the  proprietor. 

"The  crabs!  Take  them  off!"  yelled  Crab- 
tree,  continuing  to  dance  around. 

"  Crabs?  What  made  you  bring  crabs  up 
here?  " 

"I— I— oh,  my  toes!  Take  them  off!" 
shrieked  Josiah  Crabtree,  and  kicked  out  right 
and  left.  One  of  the  crabs  was  flung  off,  to  land 
in  the  hotel  proprietor's  face  and  to  catch  the 
man  by  the  nose. 

"My  nose!  He  will  bite  it  off!"  cried  the 
hotel  man.  "  Kill  the  thing,  Gillett — smash  it 
with  a — a — anything!" 

And  Gillet,  the  clerk,  tried  to  do  so,  while  the 
hotel  man  and  Crabtree  continued  to  dance 
around  in  the  wildest  kind  of  fury.  Safe  in  their 
own  room,  the  boys  laughed  until  they  cried. 
All  had  gone  to  bed,  and  Tom  lost  no  time  in 
getting  under  the  covers. 

"  Somebody  has  played  a  tr "  began  Crab- 


I98  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

tree,  when  an  extra  nip  on  his  knee  cut  him 
short.  "  Oh,  my,  I  shall  die!  "  he  moaned — "  I 
know  I  shall  die!  " 

By  this  time  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel  had 
freed  himself  from  the  crab  that  had  nipped  him 
on  the  nose.  "  You  won't  die,  but  you'll  get 
out  of  this  hotel,"  he  snarled.  "  Throw  the 
crabs  out  of  the  window,"  he  continued  to  his 
employees,  and  after  a  good  deal  of  trouble  one 
crab  after  another  was  hurled  forth,  the  window 
being  kept  open  in  the  meantime  and  the  icy 
draught  causing  Crabtree  to  shiver  as  with  the 
ague.  As  there  seemed  no  help  for  it  the  ex- 
teacher  began  to  dress  again  with  all  possible 
speed. 

"  If  I  find  out  who  did  this  I'll— I'll  kill  him," 
moaned  Josiah  Crabtree.  "  I've  been  nipped  in 
a  hundred  places! " 

"You'll  leave  this  hotel!"  growled  the  pro- 
prietor. "  I've  had  enough  of  you.  First  the 
room  didn't  suit,  then  the  price  was  too  high, 
and  at  dinner  and  supper  you  found  all  manner 
of  fault  with  the  menu.  You'll  go,  and  the 
quicker  the  better." 

"  But  look  here "  began  Crabtree. 

"  I  won't  argue  with  you.  Either  get  out, 
or  I'll  have  you  arrested  as  a  disorderly  char- 
acter." 

"  Yes,  but " 


FUN  AT   THE  HOTEL.  199 

"  Not  a  word.  Will  you  go  quietly,  or  shall 
I  have  you  put  out?  " 

"I'll— I'll  go!"  gasped  Josiah  Crabtree,  and 
five  minutes  later  he  was  on  the  cold  street, 
satchel  in  hand,  and  saying  all  manner  of  un- 
pleasant things  under  his  breath. 

"  Oh,  Tom !  "  laughed  Sam,  and  could  go  no 
further.  Each  of  the  boys  had  felt  like  explod- 
ing a  dozen  times.  It  was  not  until  an  hour 
after  that  any  of  them  managed  to  get  to 
sleep. 

When  they  came  down  in  the  morning  the 
hotel  clerk  winked  at  them.  "  I'm  not  saying  a 
word,"  he  whispered.  "  But  it  served  the  old 
crank  right.  Even  the  boss  is  doing  a  little 
smiling,  although  he  got  quite  a  nip  himself." 

"  Really,  I  don't  know  what  you  are  talking 
about,"  answered  Tom.  Then  he  shut  up  one 
eye,  stuck  his  tongue  into  his  cheek,  and 
strolled  into  the  dining  room.  "  He's  an  out- 
and-out  boy,  he  is,"  murmured  the  clerk,  gazing 
after  him. 

Breakfast  was  finished,  and  the  cadets  were 
strolling  around  the  hotel  awaiting  further  in- 
structions from  Captain  Putnam,  when  a  man 
drove  up  to  the  door  in  a  big  livery-stable 
sleigh. 

"  I  am  after  some  boys  bound  for  Putnam 
Hall,"  he  said.  "  Captain  Putnam  telegraphed 


200  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

to  the  boss  to  bring  'em  up  to  the  Hall  in  this 
sleigh." 

"Hurrah!"  shouted  Sam.  "Such  a  long 
ride  will  just  suit  me!  " 

"  If  it  doesn't  prove  too  cold,"  was  Dick's 
comment. 

There  was  but  one  seat  in  the  turnout,  the 
back  being  filled  with  straw  and  robes.  "  Take 
your  lunch  with  you,"  said  the  driver.  "  For 
it's  a  long  trip  we  have  before  us,  and  I  reckon 
a  part  of  the  road  aint  none  too  good." 

The  clerk  of  the  hotel  was  consulted,  and  soon 
a  big  lunch-box  was  packed,  containing  sand- 
wiches, cake,  and  a  stone  jug  of  hot  coffee. 
This  wras  stowed  away  in  the  straw,  and  the  lads 
piled  in,  laughing  merrily  over  the  prospect  be- 
fore them. 

"  Off  we  go! "  shouted  Larry,  and  with  a 
crack  of  the  whip  the  sleigh  started.  It  was 
drawn  by  a  heavy  pair  of  horses,  who  looked  wrell 
able  to  get  through  any  snowdrift  that  might 
present  itself. 

Ithaca  was  soon  left  behind,  and  they  sped 
swiftly  along  a  road  running  northward,  a  half- 
mile  or  more  from  the  west  shore  of  the  lake. 
The  road  was  level,  and  somewhat  worn  by 
travel,  and  for  the  first  three  miles  good  time 
was  made. 

"  If  we  can  continue  this  gait  we'll  reach  Put- 


FUN  AT  THE  HOTEL.  201 

nam  Hall  by  three  or  four  o'clock  this  afternoon, 
allowing  an  hour's  rest  at  noon,"  said  the  driver 
in  reply  to  a  question  put  by  Frank.  "  But  we 
have  still  a  number  of  small  hills  to  climb,  and 
it's  not  going  to  stay  as  clear  as  it  was  early  this 
morning." 

The  latter  remark  was  caused  by  the  sun  dis- 
appearing under  heavy  clouds.  Soon  it  began 
to  snow,  at  first  lightly,  and  then  heavier  and 
heavier. 

"  We're  going  to  catch  it!  "  said  Tom,  after 
the  noon  stop  had  been  taken  at  a  wayside  hotel, 
where  they  had  taken  dinner,  keeping  the  boxed 
lunch  for  later  on.  "  The  snow  is  four  inches 
deeper  than  it  was." 

On  they  went  again,  the  snow  becoming  so 
thick  at  last  that  they  could  scarcely  see  a  yard 
before  them.  It  was  very  cold,  and  the  cadets 
were  glad  enough  to  huddle  in  the  straw,  with 
the  robes  over  them,  leaving  the  driver  to  pick 
his  way  as  best  he  could. 

An  hour  had  gone  by,  and  they  were  wonder- 
ing if  they  were  anywhere  near  Cedarville,  when 
a  wild  shout  rang  out,  and  the  next  instant  came 
a  crash,  as  their  sleigh  collided  with  another, 
coming  from  the  opposite  direction.  A  runner 
of  each  turnout  was  smashed,  and  the  occupants 
of  the  other  sleigh  came  tumbling  in  upon  the 
lads  in  great  confusion. 


202  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Great  Caesar!  what's  this?  "  groaned  Tom, 
as  he  shifted  a  weight  from  his  shoulders,  and 
then  he  stared  in  amazement  as  he  found  him- 
self confronted  by  Nellie  Laning! 

"  Tom  Rover!  "  burst  from  the  girl's  lips,  as 
soon  as  she  could  recover  her  breath.  "  Did 
you  ever! " 

"Well,  hardly!"  murmured  Tom,  as  he  helped 
her  to  a  sitting  position.  "  You're  coming  in 
on  us  fast.  What's  the  trouble?  Oh,  and  there 
is  Grace  and  your  father!  " 

"  The  sleighs  ran  into  each  other,"  answered 
Nellie.  "  Can  you  stop  the  horses,  father?  "  she 
called  out. 

"  Yes,  but  the  sleigh  is  a  goner,"  answered 
Mr.  Laning,  and  then  some  sharp  words  passed 
between  himself  and  the  livery-stable  driver. 
There  was  no  doubt,  however,  but  that  the 
blinding  storm  was  largely  responsible  for  the 
accident. 

An  examination  proved  that  both  sleighs 
would  have  to  be  abandoned,  and  then  the  two 
parties  sought  shelter  at  a  near-by  farmhouse, 
while  Mr.  Laning  went  off  on  one  horse,  and  the 
livery-stable  driver  on  another,  each  to  borrow  a 
sleigh  elsewhere. 

This  left  the  boys  in  the  company  of  the  girls 
for  over  an  hour,  and  during  that  time  Dick, 


FUN  AT   THE  HOTEL.  203 

Tom,  and  Sam  asked  a  great  many  questions, 
especially  about  Mrs.  Stanhope  and  Dora. 

"  Yes,  the  marriage  is  to  come  off  next  week, 
Thursday, — unless  something  prevents  it," 
said  Nellie.  "  Dora  is  fairly  sick  over  the  pros- 
pect. What  Aunt  Lucy  can  see  in  Mr.  Crab- 
tree  is  more  than  any  of  us  can  understand." 

"  He  must  have  hypnotized  her,"  observed 
Dick.  "  It's  a  shame!  I  wish  old  Crabtree  was 
in  Jericho! " 

"  So  do  all  of  us! "  laughed  Grace,  and  then 
Sam  took  her  off  for  a  quiet  chat,  while  Tom 
monopolized  Nellie. 

"  Those  Rover  boys  think  a  great  deal  of  the 
Lanings  and  Stanhopes,"  observed  Larry  to 
Fred.  "Well,  it's  all  right — they  are  awfully 
nice  girls,  every  one  of  'em! " 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

BALLOTING    FOR    A    SECOND    LIEUTENANT. 

"  Back  to  Putnam  Hall  at  last!  How  home- 
like the  place  looks!  " 

Sam  uttered  the  words  as  he  leaped  from  the 
sleigh  and  ran  for  the  main  entrance,  where  Cap- 
tain Putnam  stood  to  receive  them.  He  had 
heard  of  the  accident,  and  was  fearful  that  one  or 
another  of  his  pupils  might  have  been  hurt. 

"  Thank  Providence  that  no  one  was  killed  or 
seriously  injured!"  he  observed,  as  he  wrung 
each  by  the  hand.  "  Welcome,  lads,  and  I  trust 
you  have  all  had  happy  holidays." 

"  The  same  to  you,  Captain  Putnam!  "  cried 
one  after  another,  and  then  they  passed  inside, 
to  be  greeted  by  George  Strong  and  the  new 
assistant. 

Cadets  kept  coming  back  for  three  days,  and 
on  the  following  Monday  the  regular  spring 
term  opened,  to  end  in  July.  Soon  the  boys 
were  as  deep  in  their  studies  as  ever  before. 

In  the  meantime  Dick  had  concocted  a 
scheme  for  sending  Josiah  Crabtree  on  a  wild- 
goose  chase  to  Chicago.  Tom  had  a  friend  out 


BALLOTING  FOR  A  SECOND  LIEUTENANT.      2OJ 

in  that  city,  and  he  was  requested  to  mail  with- 
out delay  a  certain  letter  which  Tom  inclosed 
with  his  own. 

This  letter  was  composed  by  Dick.  It  was 
written  on  a  large  letter-head  upon  which  Dick 
printed  the  advertisement  of  the  "  Mid- West 
National  College — Incorporated," — doing  the 
work  on  a  small  printing  press  used  by  some  of 
the  boys  in  getting  out  a  school  monthly.  To 
make  the  letter  even  more  imposing,  Dick 
printed  the  body  of  it  on  a  typewriter  which  was 
used  by  one  of  the  classes  taking  a  business 
course.  The  letter  ran  as  follows: 

"  CHICAGO,  January  i,  189—. 
"  JOSIAH  CRABTREE,  A.  M., 

"  Cedarville,  N.  Y. 

"  Dear  Sir:  You  have  been  recommended  to 
us  by  a  New  York  scholastic  employment 
agency  as  a  first-class  teacher  in  mathematics, 
history,  and  other  branches.  We  are  in  imme- 
diate need  at  the  opening  of  this  term  of  such  a 
teacher,  and  will  pay  two  thousand  dollars  per 
year.  Will  you  come  on  at  once,  at  our  ex- 
pense, with  a  view  to  closing  with  us?  Our  in- 
stitution is  a  new  one,  but  we  already  have 
eighty  pupils,  of  the  best  families  of  the  Middle 
West,  and  are  certain  to  have  fifty  more  before 
the  end  of  the  year.  We  understand  that  you 


206  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

are  a  bachelor,  which  state  just  suits  our  wants. 
Kindly  wire  us  and  come  on  before  Thursday  the 
loth,  if  possible.  The  two  thousand  per  year  is, 
of  course,  exclusive  of  board  and  suite  of 
rooms,  which  we  provide  for  all  of  our  in- 
structors. 

"  Yours  truly, 
"  ANDREW  N.  BLUFF,  LL.  D.,  President." 

"  If  that  doesn't  make  old  Crabtree  hustle 
then  I  miss  my  guess,"  said  Tom  after  reading 
the  comunication.  "  He  loves  money  too  well 
to  let  that  two  thousand  slide — marriage  or  no 
marriage.  Even  if  he  wants  to  wed,  he'll  go 
West  to  try  and  fix  it  up  to  hold  the  position 
anyway." 

The  letter  was  posted  to  the  friend  in  Chicago 
that  very  night.  On  the  letter  to  Josiah  Crab- 
tree  was  placed  an  address  in  Cedarville  which 
was  certain  to  catch  him. 

On  the  following  day  Captain  Putnam  an- 
nounced an  election  for  second  lieutenant  of 
Company  A.  "  Lieutenant  Darman  will  not  be 
here  any  longer,  as  his  family  have  moved  to 
England,"  he  said.  "  I  trust  you  elect  the  best 
cadet  possible  to  the  office.  The  election  will 
take  place  next  Wednesday  at  noon." 

At  once  a  lively  discussion  took  place.  There 
were  half  a  dozen  pupils  who  wanted  the  posi- 


BALLOTING  FOR  A  SECOND  LIEUTENANT.      207 

tion,  and  among  them  were  Dick,  Fred,  and 
Mumps. 

"  I  ought  to  have  that  place,"  said  Mumps, 
and  on  the  quiet  he  started  to  buy  up  votes 
where  he  could  not  influence  them  in  any  other 
way.  This  move  succeeded  among  the  smaller 
lads,  but  the  big  boys  turned  from  him  with 
scorn. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Dick  was  exceed- 
ingly anxious  when  the  time  for  balloting  ar- 
rived. Would  he  succeed  or  fail? 

Just  before  dinner  Captain  Putnam  brought 
out  a  square  box  into  which  ballots  might  be 
cast. 

"  The  cadets  will  stand  up  in  a  row  to  be 
counted,"  he  said.  "  Major  Conners,  you  will 
kindly  count  your  command." 

"  Eighty-seven,  including  myself,"  announced 
the  youthful  major,  after  he  had  gone  down  the 
line  and  back  with  care. 

"  Are  any  cadets  absent?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Very  well  then,  we  will  proceed  to  vote,  by 
having  each  cadet  come  up  and  cast  a  slip  of 
paper  with  his  favorite's  name  on  it  in  the  box. 
The  line  will  march  in  single  file,  one  pace  from 
man  to  man.  Forward !  " 

The  captain  stood  by  the  ballot  box,  and  up 
came  the  file,  Major  Conners  first  and  Captain 


208  THE  XOVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

Blossom  following.  In  a  few  minutes  all  of  the 
eighty-seven  ballots  were  in  the  box,  and  then 
began  the  sorting  out. 

"  I  will  now  read  the  result  of  the  first  ballot," 
announced  Captain  Putnam,  holding  up  a  paper 
with  the  figures,  and  amid  a  dead  silence  he  be- 
gan: 

"  '  Whole  number  of  votes  cast 87 

Necessary  to  a  choice 44 

Fred  Garrison  has 32 

Richard  Rover  has 28 

George  Granbury  has 15 

John  Fenwick  has 12 ' 

Consequently,  nobody  is  elected.  Another 
vote  will  be  taken  immediately  after  dinner,"  and 
then  the  companies  were  re-formed  and  marched 
into  the  mess  hall. 

"  Fred  Garrison  is  ahead !  "  came  in  a  whisper 
from  every  side.  "  Good  for  you,  Fred!  " 

"  Mumps  only  got  a  dozen  votes,"  came  from 
one  of  the  little  boys.  "  He  won't  get  my  vote 
next  time." 

"  Nor  mine,"  chimed  in  his  chum. 

"  Don't  worry,  Dick,"  whispered  Tom. 
'''  The  final  result  isn't  reached  yet.  Somebody 
has  got  to  drop  out  first." 

The  dinner  finished,  the  boys  gathered  in  little 


BALLOTING  FOR  A  SECOND  LIEUTENANT.      209 

knots  to  talk  the  question  over.  Soon  the  line 
was  re-formed  for  a  second  ballot. 

At  that  moment  Fred  Garrison  stepped  for- 
ward. 

"Fellow  students!"  he  cried.  "One  word 
before  you  vote.  I  wish  to  withdraw  from  the 
contest,  doing  so  in  favor  of  two  of  my  friends, 
Dick  Rover  and  George  Granbury.  I  thank 
those  who  voted  for  me  before  from  the  bottom 
of  my  heart." 

"Hurrah  for  Fred!"  came  from  a  score  of 
throats,  and  a  cheer  rent  the  air.  "  We  won't 
forget  you  next  time,  old  man !  " 

Soon  the  second  ballot  was  cast,  and  amid  an- 
other silence  Captain  Putnam  read  it  off: 

"  '  Number  of  votes  cast 87 

Necessary  to  a  choice 44 

John  Fenwick  has 7 

George  Granbury  has 23 

Richard  Rover  has 57 ' 

Richard  Rover  is  declared  elected  second  lieu- 
tenant of  Company  A  for  the  balance  of  this 
term." 

A  cheer  broke  forth,  and  many  of  the  cadets 
came 'up  to  shake  Dick  by  the  hand.  Among 
the  number  were  Fred  and  George  Granbury. 
"  You  beat  me  fairly,  Rover,"  said  Granbury,  a 


210  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

whole-souled  fellow.  "  I  am  satisfied — so  long 
as  such  a  cad  as  Mumps  doesn't  get  an  office." 

"  Mumps  was  badly  left,"  put  in  Tom.  "  See, 
he  is  sneaking  off  to  his  room.  I  rather  guess 
he  wishes  he  hadn't  run." 

"  I  thank  you  all  very  much,"  said  Dick,  his 
face  glowing.  "  I  shall  try  to  do  my  best  as 
second  lieutenant.  Three  cheers  for  all  of  the 
cadets  of  Putnam  Hall!  "  And  the  cheers  broke 
forth  with  renewed  vigor. 

"  Dick,  you  must  do  the  square  thing  to- 
night," said  Frank  some  time  later. 

"  What  do  you  mean? "  asked  the  elder 
Rover. 

"  When  a  fellow  is  elected  to  an  office  he  is 
supposed  to  treat  his  friends.  All  of  the  cadets 
will  be  sneaking  up  to  your  dormitory  some 
time  between  ten  and  twelve  o'clock  to-night." 

"  Indeed! "  Dick  mused  for  a  moment. 
"All  right— I'll  be  ready  for  them,  Frank;  but 
mum  is  the  word." 

"You  will  treat?" 

"  I'll  treat  every  cadet  who  shows  himself  and 
doesn't  make  any  noise." 

"  Good  for  you!  Then  I  can  spread  the  word 
that  it  is  all  right?  " 

"  Yes— but,  Frank." 

"Well?" 

"  Beware  of  Mumps.     If  he  heard  of  what  was 


BALLOTING  FOR  A  SECOND  LIEUTENANT.      211 

going  on  I  think  he  would  try  to  spoil  our 
game." 

"  I'll  be  careful,"  answered  Frank,  and  hurried 
off  in  one  direction,  while  Dick  hurried  off  in 
another. 

Both  had  scarcely  disappeared  than  Mumps 
same  forth  from  behind  a  hall  rack  which  stood 
close  at  hand. 

"  How  lucky  to  overhear  their  talk,"  said  the 
sneak.  "  Will  I  spoil  their  game?  Well,  just 
wait  and  see,  that's  all!  " 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

PREPARING  FOR  A  MIDNIGHT  FEAST. 

Dick  was  in  a  quandary  as  to  how  he  was  to 
treat  all  of  his  friends,  and  called  Sam  and  Tom 
to  him  for  consultation. 

"  I've  got  a  dollar  and  a  quarter,"  said  Sam; 
"  you  can  use  that,  and  welcome." 

"  And  here  is  a  dollar  and  ten,"  added  Tom, 
passing  over  the  amount  in  ten  cent  pieces  and 
nickels.  "  Haven't  you  any  money  of  your 
own?  " 

"  I  have  two  dollars  and  thirty  cents,"  an- 
swered Dick. 

"  That  makes  four  dollars  and  sixty-five 
cents,"  said  Tom,  summing  up.  "  That's 
enough  for  a  pretty  fair  blow-out." 

"  So  it  is,  Tom,  but  where  is  the  stuff  to  come 
from?  Mrs.  Green  won't  sell  it  to  me." 

"  That's  true." 

"  And  she  has  her  pantries  all  locked  up." 

"  Oh,  pshaw!  you  don't  want  to  treat  the  boys 
on  school  stuff,"  said  Sam.  "  Get  'em  some- 
thing from  Cedarville — some  bottled  soda,  can- 
dies, nuts,  and  things  like  that." 

"That's  the  talk,   Dick.     Let  us  sneak  off 


PREPARING  FOR  A   MIDNIGHT  FEAST.      213 

after  dark  and  go  to  Cedarville!"  cried  Tom. 
"  That  would  just  suit  me." 

"  I'll  think  it  over,"  answered  his  big  brother 
slowly. 

After  supper  found  most  of  the  cadets  indoors, 
for  the  night  promised  to  be  cold.  About  half 
of  the  boys  remained  in  the  library,  while  the 
others  betook  themselves  to  their  rooms. 

"  Well? "  queried  Tom,  as  he  approached 
Dick  on  the  stairs. 

"  I'm  ready,  Tom,"  answered  his  brother. 
"  But  be  careful,  or  we'll  be  spotted." 

Like  a  pair  of  ghosts  they  glided  up  the  front 
stairs,  along  the  broad  hallway,  and  down  the 
stairs  in  the  rear.  The  door  was  unlocked,  and 
they  passed  into  the  yard. 

"  Let  us  take  Peleg  Snuggers  into  our  confi- 
dence," whispered  Tom.  "  For  a  quarter  I  am 
certain  he'll  let  us  have  one  of  the  captain's 
nags." 

"  You  can  test  him  if  you  wish,"  answered 
Dick,  who  was  doubtful. 

Peleg  Snuggers  was  found  in  the  harness 
room,  shining  up  some  buckles  by  the  aid  of  a 
stable  lantern. 

"  Hullo,  Peleg — working  rather  late,"  was 
Tom's  greeting. 

"  Yes,  sir — got  behind,"  answered  the  utility 
man.  "  What  brought  you  here?  " 


414  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  I  want  a  horse,  Peleg.  Which  one  can  I 
have?" 

"  A  horse!     Did  the  captain  send  you?  " 

Instead  of  replying  Tom  held  out  a  silver 
quarter.  "  Don't  ask  questions,  Peleg,  but  just 
let  me  take  a  horse  for  an  hour  or  two,  that's  a 
good  man." 

"  Can't  do  it,  Master  Rover — against  orders, 
sir." 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  can.  We  won't  hurt  the  beast. 
We  are  bound  to  get  to  Cedarville  and  back  be- 
fore ten  o'clock.  Do  you  want  us  to  drop  on 
the  road  from  exhaustion  and  be  frozen  to 
death?  "  and  Tom  put  the  question  in  all  seri- 
ousness. 

"  No,  no,  certainly  not!  " 

"  Then  bring  out  a  horse.  That  black  will 
do.  Here,  take  the  quarter,  Peleg,  and  much 
obliged  to  you.  Hurry  up." 

"  Was  there  ever  such  a  boy!  "  grumbled  the 
man;  but,  nevertheless,  he  arose  and  got  the 
black  horse  ready  for  them,  hooking  the  animal 
to  a  small  cutter.  "  Remember,  if  the  captain 
learns  of  this,  I  don't  know  nothing  about  it," 
he  called  out,  as  the  two  boys  drove  off  by  a 
back  way,  out  of  sight  of  the  main  building  of 
the  institution. 

"  Peleg  is  all  right,  if  you  know  how  to  handle 
him,"  said  Tom,  as  he  took  the  reins  from  Dick. 


PREPARING  FOR  A   MIDNIGHT  FEAST.      215 

"  I'll  let  him  out  a  bit,  and  we'll  drive  to  Cedar- 
ville  in  a  jiffy." 

"  Tom,  you're  getting  more  cheeky  every 
day,"  was  Dick's  comment,  yet  he  was  far  from 
displeased  over  what  his  brother  had  accom- 
plished. 

Away  went  the  cutter,  the  roads  being  now  in 
an  excellent  condition.  Soon  Putnam  Hall  was 
left  far  behind,  and  they  came  within  sight  of  the 
Stanhope  homestead. 

"  I'd  like  to  stop  for  just  a  minute,"  said  Dick, 
but  Tom  shook  his  head. 

"  We  want  to  get  to  Cedarville  before  the 
shops  close,"  said  the  younger  brother.  "  We 
can  stop  on  the  way  back — if  we  have  time,"  and 
they  continued  on  their  way. 

Both  knew  Cedarville  "  like  a  book,"  as  Tom 
expressed  it,  having  been  there  so  many  times 
before.  They  drove  straight  to  the  largest  con- 
fectionery in  the  village. 

"  A  pound  of  chocolates,  a  pound  of  marsh- 
mallows,  a  pound  of  iced  fruits,  and  five  pounds 
of  best  mixed  candies,"  said  Dick,  and  the 
'.articles  were  quickly  put  up  for  him. 

"How  much?" 

"  A  dollar  and  thirty  cents,  please." 

The  bill  was  paid,  and  they  hurried  to  an- 
other store,  where  they  purchased  two  dozen 
bottles  of  soda  water,  a  dozen  bottles  of  root 


2l6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

beer,  and  five  pounds  of  mixed  nuts.  Tom 
wanted  to  buy  some  cigarettes  for  such  of  the 
cadets  as  might  wish  to  smoke,  but  Dick  shook 
his  head  at  this. 

"  No,  that's  going  too  far,"  he  said.  "  We'll 
have  a  respectable  spread,  and  that's  enough." 

Inside  of  half  an  hour  they  had  started  on  the 
return,  the  various  articles  purchased  stowed 
safely  away  in  the  back  of  the  cutter. 

"  We'll  have  at  least  fifteen  minutes  to  spare," 
said  Dick,  and  waited  as  patiently  as  possible 
until  the  Stanhope  homestead  again  appeared. 

As  soon  as  they  gained  the  entrance  to  the 
garden,  Dick  hopped  out,  ran  up  the  path  to  the 
porch,  and  rang  the  bell. 

Dora  Stanhope  answered  his  summons. 

"  Oh,  Dick,  is  that  you?  "  she  cried.  "  Come 
in." 

."  I  can't  stay  but  a  few  minutes,  Dora,"  he  an- 
swered as  he  entered  the  hall.  "  I  must  get 
back  to  the  academy.  I  thought  I  would  just 
stop  to  see  how  you  are  getting  on." 

"  Oh,  everything  is  the  same,  Dick." 

"  I  heard  the  marriage  was  to  take  place  this 
week." 

"  Yes." 

"  Let  me  tell  you  something,"  went  on  the 
boy,  and  told  her  of  the  letter  to  be  sent  from 
Chicago  to  Josiah  Crabtree. 


PREPARING  FOR  A   MIDNIGHT  FEAST.      217 

"  Oh,  I  hope  he  gets  it  and  goes!  "  exclaimed 
Dora  quickly,  and  her  face  brightened  a  bit. 

"  Send  me  word  if  he  does  go,"  said  Dick. 

He  remained  for  ten  minutes  longer,  but  what 
was  said  and  done  need  not  be  mentioned  here. 
When  he  left  his  heart  was  all  aglow,  while  Dora 
was  blushing  deeply.  "Best  girl  in  the  world," 
he  murmured.  "  What  an  awfully  nice  young 
fellow,"  was  Dora's  thought. 

"  Hurry  up!  "  cried  Tom  from  the  sleigh, 
when  his  big  brother  put  in  an  appearance  again. 
"  I'm  most  frozen  stiff!  "  And  on  went  the  cut- 
ter, the  horse  feeling  quite  fresh  after  his  rest. 

"  I'll  go  ahead  and  see  if  the  coast  is  clear," 
said  Dick,  when  they  reached  the  vicinity  of  the 
stable,  and  he  leaped  into  the  snow.  It  did  not 
take  long  to  walk  to  the  barn.  He  was  gone 
but  a  few  minutes,  and  came  back  on  a  run. 

"  We  are  in  for  it!  "  he  cried.  "  Mr.  Strong 
is  down  at  the  stable  talking  toPeleg  Snuggers." 

"  Great  Csesar!     What's  to  do?  " 

"  Get  the  stuff  out  of  the  sleigh  first  and  hide 
it  near  the  Hall  in  the  snow,"  answered  Dick. 
"Be  quick!" 

His  advice  was  followed,  Tom  carrying  the 
soda  water  and  root  beer  and  Dick  the  other 
things.  All  were  hidden  in  a  snowbank  directly 
under  the  dormitory  window. 

This  accomplished,  Dick  led  the  horse  up  to 


2l8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

the  back  of  the  stable  and  unhitched  him!.  He 
could  hear  George  Strong  and  the  utility  man 
talking  less  than  twenty  feet  away. 

"  Very  well,  Snuggers,  I'll  be  back  shortly," 
he  heard,  coming  from  the  head  assistant,  and 
Strong  walked  from  the  stable  toward  the  Hall. 

In  a  twinkle  Dick  ran  around  the  stable  cor- 
ner. "  Quick,  Peleg,  here  is  the  horse,  all  un- 
hooked. Put  him  in  his  stall.  The  cutter  is 
back  there,  out  of  sight,"  and  as  the  hired  man 
took  possession  of  the  animal,  the  youth  ran  off, 
to  join  his  brother  at  the  entrance  to  Putnam 
Hall. 

"  The  door  is  locked ! "  groaned  Tom. 
"  Something  is  wrong." 

Without  replying,  Dick  ran  around  to  a  spot 
under  the  dormitory  window.  Making  a  soft 
snowball,  he  threw  it  against  the  glass,  and  fol- 
lowed this  by  several  others.  Presently  the  win- 
dow was  thrown  up,  and  Sam,  Fred,  and  Larry 
showed  their  heads. 

"  Say,  you  fellows,  help  us  up !  "  cried  Dick 
softly.  "  There  is  a  washline  in  the  closet — the 
one  my  Aunt  Martha  insisted  on  tying  around 
my  trunk  when  we  came  here  last  summer." 

There  was  a  scramble  in  the  room,  and  pres- 
ently the  end  of  the  line  was  thrown  out.  It  was 
new  and  strong,  and  quite  capable  of  supporting 
either  of  the  lads'  weight. 


PREPARING  FOR  A    MIDNIGHT  FEAST.      219 

"You  go  first,  Tom,  but  be  quick!"  said 
Dick  softly,  and  his  brother  caught  hold  and 
went  up  with  ease,  bracing  one  foot  after  an- 
other against  the  rough  stonework  and  project- 
ing bricks.  Then  the  rope  came  down  a  second 
time  and  Dick  ascended. 

Haidly  were  the  boys  in  the  roomi  than  there 
came  a  loud  knocking  on  the  door. 

"It's  Mr.  Strong!"  gasped  Sam.  "What 
shall  we  do  now?  It  looks  as  if  we  were  all 
caught!" 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

MUMPS    IS    TAUGHT    A    LESSON. 

The  cadets  stared  blankly  at  each  other. 
Only  two  of  them  were  undressed;  the  others 
had  all  of  their  clothing-  on. 

It  was  time  for  the  head  assistant  to  go  the 
rounds,  to  see  that  all  was  right  for  the  night. 
Should  he  be  allowed  to  enter  the  dormitory  he 
would  certainly  "  smell  a  mouse,"  and  perhaps 
knock  all  of  their  plans  for  a  feast  in  the  head. 

"  Off  with  your  clothing,  all  of  you!  "  whis- 
pered Tom.  "  I'll  manage  this  affair.  Pretend 
to  be  asleep." 

"  But,  Tom,  it's  my  fault "  began  Dick, 

when  his  younger  brother  cut  him  short. 

"  Into  the  bed— I'll  be  all  right,  Dick." 

Satisfied  that  Tom  had  some  plan  in  his  head 
for  smoothing  matters  over,  the  other  boys  dis- 
robed with  marvelous  rapidity  and  crept  into 
their  beds.  While  this  was  going  on  the  knock- 
ing on  the  door  continued. 

"  Boys,  open  the  door!  "  said  George  Strong. 
"  Open  the  door,  do  you  hear?  " 

"  Answer  him ! "  whispered   Tom   to  Larry, 


MUMPS  IS    TAUGHT  A   LESSON.  221 

whose  bed  was  nearest  to  him.  "  Pretend  you 
have  just  awoke,"  and  he  flung  himself  on  the 
floor,  with  one  of  a  pair  of  big  rubber  boots  in 
each  hand. 

"Wha — what's  that?"  demanded  Larry 
sleepily. 

"  I  say,  open  the  door! "  repeated  the  assist- 
ant teacher. 

"  Oh — er— Mr.  Strong,  is  that  you?  " 

"  Yes,  open  the  door." 

«  Why— er— is  it  locked?  " 

"  Yes." 

At  once  Larry  tumbled  from  his  bed,  un- 
locked the  door  and  stood  there  rubbing  his 
eyes.  "  Excuse  me,  sir,  for  not  hearing  you  be- 
fore." 

"  I  want  to  know  what  the  meaning  is  of  the 
noise  in  here?  "  said  George  Strong  severely,  as 
he  gazed  around  the  dimly  lit  apartment,  for  the 
lamp  was  turned  low.  "  You  boys  are — gra- 
cious me!  What's  this?  " 

The  teacher  started  back  in  genuine  surprise, 
and  his  words  aroused  all  of  the  boys  in  the  beds, 
who  followed  his  gaze  in  equal  wonder. 

For  in  the  center  of  the  floor  sat  Tom,  his  eyes 
tightly  closed,  a  rubber  boot  in  each  hand,  and 
rocking  backward  and  forward  with  great 
rapidity,  as  if  rowing. 

"Two     lengths     ahead!"     muttered     Tom. 


222  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  I'll  beat  you  yet,  Larry!  Three  lengths!  Oh, 
but  this  is  a  dandy  race!  Pull  away,  you  can't 
beat  me!  Oh!  there  goes  an  oar!  "  and,  bang! 
went  one  of  the  rubber  boots  against  the  base- 
board, and  Tom  made  a  leap  as  if  diving  into 
the  water  after  it,  sprawling  and  spluttering  as 
he  pretended  to  swim.. 

"He's  got  the  nighmare  again!"  shouted 
Sam,  quick  to  understand  Tom's  dodge.  "  Tom, 
wake  up  there! " 

"  The  nightmare!  "  echoed  Mr.  Strong.  "  Is 
it  possible?  Poor  boy!  Wake  up,  Thomas!" 
and  he  caught  Tom  by  the  shoulder  and  shook 
him  and  finally  set  him  on  his  feet. 

"  The  oar— I  will  have  the Oh!  "  Tom 

opened  his  eyes  and  stared  around  him  blankly. 
«  Why— er— what's  up?  " 

"  My  boy,  you've  had  the  nightmare,"  an- 
swered the  teacher  kindly. 

"  Nightmare!  " 

"  I  told  you  not  to  eat  that  pie  to-night,"  put 
in  Sam.  "  He  saved  his  pie  from  dinner,  and 
ate  it  just  before  we  came  up  here  " — which  was 
true. 

"  I — er — I  thought  I  was  on  the  lake  racing 
Larry  Colby,"  murmured  Tom  and  hid  his  face 
as  if  in  embarrassment.  "  What  did  I — I  do?  " 
he  faltered. 

"  You  almost  raised  the  roof,  that's  what  you 


MUMPS  IS   TAUGHT  A   LESSON.  223 

did,"  answered  Dick.  "  You  had  better  send 
home  for  some  of  those  digestion  tablets  you 
used  to  take,"  and  then  he  hid  his  face  in  the 
blankets  to  keep  from  laughing  outright. 

"  I  will."  Tom  turned  to  George  Strong. 
"  Excuse  me,  Mr.  Strong,  I  am  sorry  I  have 
caused  you  so  much  trouble." 

"  How  do  you  feel  now? "  questioned  the 
assistant  anxiously. 

"  Oh,  I'm  all  right  now." 

"  Well,  then,  go  to  bed;  and  I  trust  you  sleep 
more  soundly  for  the  balance  of  the  night,"  said 
the  teacher;  and  he  remained  in  the  room  until 
Tom  was  tucked  in,  when  he  went  off,  taking 
the  key  of  the  door  with  him. 

"Tom,  you're  a  brick!"  came  from  Frank, 
when  the  teacher  was  out  of  hearing.  "  What  a 
head  you  have  on  your  shoulders!  " 

"  Strong  took  the  key  of  the  door,"  said  Fred. 
"  I  don't  like  that." 

"  Shove  a  chair-back  up  under  the  knob," 
suggested  Dick,  and  this  was  done,  the  chair 
thus  making  an  excellent  brace. 

"  Now  to  get  that  stuff  in,"  said  Dick,  don- 
ning his  clothing  with  all  possible  speed.  "  I 
shouldn't  wonder  if  the  soda  and  root  beer  are 
frozen  as  hard  as  a  rock." 

He  was  soon  ready  to  descend,  and  the  others 
lowered  him  by  aid  of  the  washline.  Then  the 


224  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

boxes  and  packages  were  hoisted  up,  and  Dick 
came  after. 

A  few  minutes  later  came  a  slight  tapping  on 
the  door,  repeated  three  times.  It  was  a  signal, 
and  Sam  opened  the  door,  admitting  George 
Granbury  and  seven  other  cadets  from  dormi- 
tory No.  2.  The  occupants  of  several  other 
dormitories  followed. 

"  Are  we  to  have  Mumps  and  his  crowd  in 
here?  "  asked  one  of  the  newcomers. 

"  I  don't  want  Mumps,"  answered  Dick. 
"  Not  because  he  ran  against  me,  but  because  he 
was  Baxter's  toady  and  is  a  regular  sneak." 

"  Little  Luke  Walton  and  Mark  Gross  voted 
for  you,  Dick,"  said  Harry  Blossom.  "  They 
ought  to  be  invited." 

"  All  right,  tell  them  to  come  in,  and  anybody 
else  who  wishes,  outside  of  Mumps,"  answered 
Dick. 

The  young  captain  went  off,  and  soon  re- 
turned with  six  boys  of  Sam's  age  or  younger. 

"  Mumps  is  awfully  mad,"  he  announced. 
"  My  idea  is,  he  is  going  to  cause  us  trouble  if 
he  can." 

"  We'll  wax  him  good  if  he  does!  "  cried  Tom. 
"  I  say,  Sam,  let  us  watch  him,"  and  he  hurried 
into  the  hallway,  while  the  others  attacked  the 
several  good  things  Dick  had  provided  for  them. 

Tom  and  Sarn  had  been  in  the  dark  hallway 


MUMPS  IS   TAUGHT  A   LESSON.  22$ 

but  two  minutes  when  the  door  of  Mumps'  dor- 
mitory opened  and  the  sneak  came  out,  wearing 
his  slippers  and  his  long  overcoat.  He  glided 
swiftly  toward  the  side  stairs  leading  to  Captain 
Putnam's  private  apartments. 

"He's  going  to  peach!"  whispered  Tom. 
"  Come  on,  Sam,  let  us  capture  the  enemy ! " 
and  he  hurried  after  Mumps  and  caught  him  by 
the  arm. 

"Hi!  who  is  this?"  demanded  the  sneak, 
turning  in  fear.  Then,  as  Tom  and  Sam  con- 
fronted him,  his  face  grew  white. 

"  Come  with  us,  Mumps,  we  want  to  treat 
you,"  answered  Tom  readily,  into  whose  head 
another  trick  had  entered. 

"  I  don't  want  any  of  your  treat,"  growled  the 
sneak.  "  Let  me  go." 

"  Oh,  you  must  come,"  urged  Tom.  "  We 
have  a  fine  bottle  of  root  beer  and  a  lot  of  can- 
died fruit  for  you." 

If  there  was  one  thing  that  Mumps  liked  it 
was  root  beer,  while  he  knew  candied  fruit 
was  very  rich  eating.  Accordingly  he  hesi- 
tated. 

"  I'll  get  all  I  can  first  and  tell  on  them  after- 
ward," he  thought,  and  allowed  Tom  and  Sam 
to  conduct  him  into  the  dormitory  occupied  by 
the  Metropolitan  Sextet. 

"  Here  is  Mumps  come  to  join  us!  "  cried 


226  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

Tom,  as  he  introduced  the  sneak  into  the  room, 
and  he  winked  at  Dick.  "  Now,  Mumps,  sit 
down  and  make  yourself  at  home,  and  I'll  get 
something  for  you,"  and  he  motioned  the  sneak 
to  a  position  at  one  end  of  his  bed. 

He  hurried  off,  and  presently  came  back  to 
Mumps  with  a  fine  slice  of  candied  orange.  The 
sneak  was  greedy,  and  instantly  transferred  the 
entire  slice  to  his  mouth  and  began  to  chew  it 
vigorously. 

"  Oh!  "  he  cried  presently,  and  drew  down  his 
face  in  disgust. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Mumps?  "  asked  Sam. 

"  This  orange  tastes  like  kerosene!  "  splut- 
tered Mumps,  and  rushed  to  the  window.  As 
he  put  out  his  head,  Tom  pointed  to  the  sneak 
and  then  to  the  lamp,  ait  which  he  had  "  flav 
ored  "  the  candied  fruit.  "  We'll  get  square — 
just  wait,"  he  whispered. 

"  You  gave  me  that  piece  on  purpose," 
howled  the  sneak,  as  soon  as  he  had  cleared  his 
mouth.  "  Oh,  what  an  awful  dose!  Somebody 
give  me  a  drink  of  water." 

"  The  water  is  all  gone,  Mumps,"  answered 
Tom.  "  Awfully  sorry.  Have  a  glass  of  root 
beer,"  and  he  poured  out  a  tumblerful. 

Willing  to  drink  anything  to  take  that  taste 
out  of  his  mouth,  the  sneak  took  the  tumbler 
and  gulped  down  about  half  of  the  root  beer. 


MUMPS  IS   TAUGHT  A   LESSON'.  227 

The  remainder  was  about  to  follow,  when  sud- 
denly he  stopped  short. 

"Oh,  my!" 

"  Awfully  good,  isn't  it?  "  put  in  Dick. 

"  Good?  It  tastes  like  salt  water!  "  snorted 
Mumps.  And  he  was  not  far  wrong,  for  Tom 
had  taken  the  pains  to  put  a  lot  of  salt  into  the 
glass  before  fillirig  it  up. 

"  Why,  that  is  the  best  root  beer  I  ever 
tasted,"  put  in  Larry.  "  It's  as  sweet  as  sugar. 
Let  me  taste  your  glass,  Mumps." 

"  Do  so — with  pleasure,"  and  the  sneak 
passed  it  over.  Larry  pretended  to  take  a  gulp. 

"Fine!  Couldn't  be  better.  Isn't  that  so, 
Frank?  "  and  he  passed  the  glass  to  Harrington. 

"  It's  certainly  as  good  as  mine,  and  that's 
O.  K.,"  answered  Frank;  and  then  George  Gran- 
bury  took  the  tumbler  and  declared  the  root 
beer  was  even  better  than  what  he  had  had 
previously. 

"  It's  certainly  your  stomach,  Mumps,  my 
boy,"  said  Tom.  "  You  look  kind  of  funny — 
just  like  a  fellow  I  knew  who  got  the  smallpox." 

"  He  does  look  like  a  fellow  getting  the  small- 
pox," put  in  Dick.  "  Mumps,  does  your  tongue 
feel  dry-like?  " 

"  Dry,  of  course  it  is  dry — and  salty,"  growled 
Mumps,  but  he  began  to  grow  uneasy. 

"  Let  me  see  your  tongue,"  put  in  Sam,  who 


2?,8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

happened  to  have  a  blue  pencil  in  his  pocket 
As  he  spoke  he  broke  off  some  of  the  blue  point 
and  crumbled  it  in  his  fingers. 

"  My  tongue  is  all  right,"  answered  Mumps. 
Nevertheless,  he  held  it  out;  and  Sam  slyly 
dropped  the  bluing  on  it. 

"  It's  as  blue  as  indigo! "  he  exclaimed. 
"  Look  into  the  glass  for  yourself." 

Somewhat  against  his  will,  Mumps  strode 
over  to  the  looking  glass.  As  he  noted  the  con- 
dition of  his  tongue,  he  grew  very  pale  and  be- 
gan to  tremble. 

"It  is  blue,"  he  whined,  "  and — and — I  feel 
sick  all  over.  Oh,  say,  do  you  think  I  really  am 
getting  the  smallpox?  " 

For  an  instant  there  was  a  dead  silence. 
Then  the  boys  could  hold  in  no  longer,  and  a 
long  but  smothered  laugh  showed  the  sneak 
how  completely  he  had  been  said. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

A    LIVELY    GAME    OF    BASEBALL. 

If  ever  a  bay  was  mad  clear  through  that  boy 
was  the  sneak  of  Putnam  Hall.  As  the  laugh 
ended,  Mumps  shook  his  fist  at  one  and  another 
of  his  tormentors. 

"  Think  you  are  smart,  don't  you?  "  he  splut- 
tered in  his  rage.  "  I'll  fix  you  all !  I'll  go  and 
tell  Captain  Putnam  all  about  this  spread,  and 
then  maybe  you  won't  catch  it!  " 

"  Mumps,  keep  quiet,"  said  Dick,  placing 
himself  between  the  enraged  one  and  the  door. 
"  Make  too  much  noise,  and  I'll  promise  you  the 
worst  drubbing  you  ever  received." 

"  If  you  peach  on  me  I'll  give  you  a  second 
whipping,"  added  Tom. 

"  This  is  a  gentlemanly  affair,"  put  in  Larry. 
"  The  boy  who  gives  us  away  gets  a  thrashing 
from  me." 

"  Ditto  myself,"  said  Frank;  and  several 
others  said  the  same. 

All  looked  so  determined  that  Mumps  fell 
back  in  alarm. 

"  You  let  me  go,"  he  whined.  "  I  don't  want 
to  stay  here  any  longer." 


23°  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  You  can't  go  until  you  promise  to  keep 
quiet,"  said  Dick. 

"  And  you'll  promise  right  now,"  cried  Tom, 
seizing  a  pitcher  of  ice  water  that  had  been  hid- 
den under  one  of  the  stands.  Leaping  on  a  bed 
he  held  the  pitcher  over  Mumps'  head. 

"  Promise,  quick,  or  I'll  let  her  go<!  "  he  went 
on. 

"  Oh,  don't!  "  yelled  Mumps,  as  a  few  drops 
of  the  water  landed  on  his  head  and  ran  down  his 
neck. 

"  Do  you  promise  to  keep  silent?  "  demanded 
Dick. 

"Yes,  yes!" 

"All  right.  Now  mind,  if  you  break  that 
promise  you  are  in  for  at  least  ten  good  whip- 
pings." 

"  Somebody  else  may  give  you  away,"  said 
Mumps  craftily. 

"  No  one  will.  If  Captain  Putnam  hears 
about  this  it  will  be  only  through  you.  So  be- 
ware, Mumps,  if  you  value  your  hide!"  And 
then  the  sneak  was  allowed  to  g1o.  Five  min- 
utes later  the  spread  came  to  an  end,  the  muss 
was  cleared  away,  and  every  cadet  sought  his 
couch,  to  rest  if  not  to  sleep. 

It  is  possible  that  Captain  Putnam  and 
George  Strong  suspected  something,  yet  as  the 
cadets  seemed  none  the  worse  for  the  festivities 


A   LIVELY  GAME   OF  BASEBALL.  231 

the  next  day,  nothing-  was  said  on  the  subject. 
"  Boys  will  be  boys,"  smiled  the  captain  to  his 
head  assistant;  and  there  the  whole  matter 
dropped. 

Several  days  later,  while  some  of  the  cadets 
were  down  at  the  cove  clearing  off  a  portion  of 
the  ice  for  skating,  Mrs.  Stanhope's  man-of-all- 
work  came  over  with  a  note  for  Dick  from  Dora. 
The  Rover  boys  all  read  the  note  with  deep 
interest. 

"  I  have  good  news  [so  ran  the  communica- 
tion]. Mr.  Crabtree  has  gone  to  Chicago,  and 
the  marriage  has  been  postponed  until  next 
summer.  You  do  not  know  how  glad  I  am. 
Of  course  there  will  be  trouble  when  Mr.  Crab- 
tree  learns  how  he  has  been  fooled,  but  mother 
has  promised  me  to  remain  single  until  August 
or  September,  and  I  know  she  will  keep  that 
promise.  I  thank  all  of  you  very  much  for  what 
you  have  done.  Yesterday  I  saw  Dan  Bax- 
ter, who  seems  to  be  hanging  around  this  neigh- 
borhood a  good  deal.  He  wanted  to  speak  to 
me,  but  I  did  not  give  him  the  chance.  I  wish 
he  would  go  away,  for  he  looks  to  me  like  a  very 
evil-minded  person.  It  is  strange,  but  Mr. 
Crabtree  thinks  a  good  deal  of  him,  and  has  told 
my  mother  so.  He  says  it  is  nonsense  to  put 
Mr.  Baxter  down  as  a  criminal." 


23 2  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Baxter  stopping  around  here,"  mused 
Dick.  "  What  can  he  be  up  to?  " 

"  He  had  better  clear  out,"  said  Sam.  The 
matter  was  discussed  for  some  time,  but  noth- 
ing came  of  it. 

Skating  lasted  for  nearly  a  month,  and  then 
both  the  ice  and  the  snow  melted  away  as  if  by 
magic.  Soon  spring  was  at  hand,  and  the  early 
flowers  began  to  show  themselves  in  Mrs. 
Green's  little  garden,  which  was  the  house- 
keeper's one  pride. 

Dick  had  seen  Dora  once  in  that  time.  The 
girl  had  told  him  about  how  Josiah  Crabtree 
h^d  searched  in  vain  for  the  college  mentioned 
in  the  bogus  letter. 

"  He  said  I  played  the  trick,"  were  Dora's 
words.  "  He  wants  mother  to  send  me  to  some 
strict  boarding  school." 

"  And  are  you  going?  "  had  been  Dick's  ques- 
tion. 

"  No,  I  shall  remain  with  mother.  After  she 
is  married  again  I  do  not  know  what  will  become 
of  me,"  and  as  Dora's  eyes  filled  with  tears  Dick 
caught  her  hand. 

"  Don't  worry,  Dora,"  had  been  his  words. 
"  I  will  help  you,  and  it  is  bound  to  come  out 
right  in  the  end." 

As  soon  as  summer  was  at  hand,  the  Putnam 
Hall  baseball  club  received  a  challenge  from  the 


A   LIVELY  GAME  OF  BASEBALL.  233 

Pornell  club  to  play  them  a  game  at  either  school 
grounds. 

"  They  want  to  square  accounts  for  the  foot- 
ball defeat,"  said  Fred.  "  Well,  the  only  thing 
to  do  is  to  accept  the  challenge,"  and  the  accept- 
ance was  sent  without  delay,  the  game  to  be 
played  on  the  Putnam  Hall  grounds,  Captain 
Putnam  having  promised  the  cadets  his  aid  in 
building  a  grandstand.  The  lumber  came  out 
of  a  boathouse  that  had  been  torn  down  to  make 
place  for  a  new  structure,  and  as  many  of  the 
cadets  took  to  carpentering  naturally,  the  grand- 
stand was  quite  a  creditable  affair. 

Frank  Harrington  was  captain  and  catcher  for 
the  Putnam  Hall  team.  Tom  was  pitcher,  while 
Larry  played  first  base,  Dick  second,  and  Sam 
was  down  in  center,  to  use  those  nimble  legs  of 
his  should  occasion  require.  Fred  was  short- 
stop, and  the  balance  of  the  club  was  made  up  of 
the  best  players  the  school  afforded. 

The  Saturday  chosen  for  the  game  was  an 
ideal  one,  clear  and  not  too  warm.  The  students 
from  Pornell  arrived  early,  and  so  did  the  other 
visitors,  and  by  two  o'clock  the  grounds  were 
crowded. 

As  before  a  parade  was  had.  Then  the  um- 
pire came  out  and  gave  each  team  fifteen  min- 
utes for  practice. 

"  We're  in  luck,"  said  Dick,  when  Putnam 


234  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

Hall  won  the  toss  and  took  last  innings.  In  a 
moment  more  they  were  in  the  field,  and  the 
umpire  called  out: 

"Play!" 

As  was  natural,  Pornell  had  put  its  heaviest 
batters  at  the  head  of  their  list,  and  it  is  possible 
Tom  was  a  bit  nervous  as  he  twirled  the  ball  and 
sent  it  in  toward  the  home  plate. 

"  Ball  one!  "  came  the  decision,  and  again  the 
sphere  came  in.  "  Ball  two !  "  said  the  umpire. 

"Take  it  easy,  Tom!"  called  out  Dick. 
"  Lots  of  time,  remember." 

The  next  was  a  strike.  Then  came  a  foul,  and 
then  a  hard  drive  to  left  field,  and  amid  a  wild 
cheering  the  Pornell  batsman  gained  second 
base  in  safety. 

"  That's  the  way  to  do  it,  Cornwall!  Keep  it 
up,  Snader!  " 

The  second  player  now  came  up,  and  again 
the  ball  came  in.  Tom  was  as  nervous  as  before, 
and  another  hit  was  made,  and  the  player  cov- 
ered first,  while  the  man  on  second  went  to 
third. 

"  Tom,  do  be  careful,"  whispered  Frank, 
walking  down  to  him.  "  Don't  let  that  fellow 
in,"  and  he  nodded  in  the  direction  of  the  first 
runner. 

The  third  player  was  now  at  the  bat.  Two 
balls  and  two  strikes  were  counted  against  him 


A   LIVELY  GAME   OF  BASEBALL.  235 

and  then  came  a  foul,  high  up  in  the  air,  which 
Frank  caught  with  ease. 

"  One  out,  and  two  on  base!  " 

"  That's  not  so  bad." 

Again  the  ball  came  in.  "  One  strike!  "  said 
the  umpire.  "  I  want  a  high  ball!  "  growled  the 
batter.  Again  the  ball  was  delivered.  "  Two 
strikes! "  Then  the  ball  came  in  again. 
"  Three  strikes!  Batter  out!  "  And  Tom  got 
a  rousing  cheer,  for  striking  out  the  Pornellite. 

But  the  two  men  were  still  on  first  and  third, 
with  one  more  man  to  put  o>ut.  "  Take  care!  " 
whispered  Larry,  and  the  basemen  all  moved  up 
closer.  One  strike,  and  then  came  a  high  fly, 
far  out  in  center  field. 

"Run,  Sam!  Don't  miss  that!"  came  in  a 
yell.  "  Run!  run!" 

And  Sam  did  run,  knowing  that  if  he  missed 
the  ball  the  Pornell  team  would  score  two  runs, 
if  not  three.  It  was  going  far  down  the  field, 
but  he  was  after  it,  and  just  as  it  came  down,  he 
made  a  leap  and  clutched  the  sphere  with  his 
left  hand. 

"He  has  it!  Hurrah!  No  runs  this  innings 
for  Pornell!"  And  the  Putnamites  howled 
themselves  hoarse,  while  their  opponents  had 
nothing  to  say. 

But  the  players  from  the  rival  academy  had  a 
fine  battery,  and  it  was  impossible  to  "  get 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

onto"  their  pitcher's  curves  during  that  first 
innings.  The  players  went  out  in  one,  two, 
three  order,  leaving  the  score  o  to  o. 

"  It's  going  to  be  a  close  game,"  said  an  old 
player  from  Cedarville.  "  I'm  not  betting  on 
either  side." 

The  second  innings  passed  without  any  scor- 
ing being  done.  In  the  third  innings  the  Por- 
nell  team  made  two  runs.  In  the  next  innings 
Putnam  Hall  pulled  a  single  run  "  out  of  the 
fire,"  as  Dick  put  it,  for  it  was  his  tally,  made  on 
a  slide  halfway  from  third  base. 

After  this  there  were  more  "  goose  eggs," 
until  the  end  of  the  eighth  innings  when  the 
score  became  a  tie,  2.  to  2. 

One  more  innings  for  each  side,  and  the  ex- 
citement became  intense. 

"  We  must  prevent  them  from  scoring,  by  all 
means,"  said  Frank  as  they  took  the  field,  while 
the  first  batter  of  the  Pornellites  came  to  the 
plate;  and  amid  a  breathless  silence  the  final  in- 
nings began. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

OFF    FOR    THE    SUMMER    ENCAMPMENT. 

The  present  situation  was  enough  to  make 
any  pitcher  nervous,  and  it  must  be  confessed 
that  Tom  could  scarcely  control  himself.  "  A 
wild  pitch,  and  it's  all  up  with  our  side,"  he 
thought,  as  he  took  his  place  in  the  "  box." 

"  One  ball!  "  That  was  the  verdict  as  the 
sphere  landed  in  Frank's  hands.  "  Two  balls!  " 
came  immediately  after. 

Frank  paused,  then  rolled  the  ball  to  Tom. 
"  Do  be  careful,"  whispered  Dick.  "  Take  your 
time." 

"  Perhaps  we  had  better  put  Larry  in  the 
box,"  suggested  another  player,  but  Tom  shook 
his  head  determinedly.  "  I'll  stick  it  out!  " 

"One  strike!"  The  batter  had  tried,  but 
failed  to  hit  the  sphere.  Tom  felt  more  hopeful, 
but  immediately  after  came  three  balls  and  then 
four  balls,  and  amid  a  cheer  from  his  friends  the 
Pornell  player  walked  to  first  base. 

The  second  man  at  the  bat  went  out  on  a  foul, 
and  the  cadets  cheered  this  time.  Then  came  a 
Strong  hit  to  left  field,  and  in  came  one  run. 


238  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  Hurrah!  3  to  2  in  Pornell's  favor!  " 

'  You've  got  'em  on  the  run  now,  boys;  keep 
it  up!" 

Two  balls,  and  the  next  batter  knocked  a  hot 
liner  to  Fred.  It  came  along  like  lightning,  but 
Fred  wore  a  "  do-or-die  "  look  and  made  a  dive 
for  it — and  held  on,  although  his  hands  stung  as 
if  scorched  with  fire. 

"  Hurrah!  Two  out!  Now  for  the  third, 
and  then  knock  out  that  lead  of  one  run!  " 

Alas!  this  was  easier  said  than  done.  The 
next  player  gained  first,  and  so  did  the  youth  to 
follow.  Then  came  a  heavy  hit,  and  the  score 
went  up  to  5  to  2.  But  that  was  the  last  of  it, 
so  far  as  Pornell  was  concerned. 

"  Now,  Putnam  Hall,  see  what  you  can  do!  " 

Larry  was  at  the  bat,  and  cautious  about 
striking.  "  One  strike!  "  called  the  umpire,  as 
the  boy  let  a  good  ball  go  by.  Another  real 
strike  followed,  and  then  Larry  caught  the 
sphere  fairly  and  squarely,  drove  it  far  into  left 
field,  and  made  a  home  run. 

"  A  homer!     Wasn't  that  great!  " 

"  That  makes  the  score  5  to  3.  Keep  it  up, 
Putnam  Hall!" 

The  home  run  was  very  encouraging,  and  now 
Dick  came  forward  with  his  ashen  stick.  He 
had  one  strike  called  on  him  and  then  managed 
to  make  a  clean  one-base  hit. 


OFF  FOR  THE  SUMMER  ENCAMPMENT.      239 

Another  player,  named  Forwell,  took  stand 
next.  The  pitcher  for  the  Pornell  team  was 
now  as  nervous  as  Tom  had  been,  and  suddenly 
Fonvell  was  hit  in  the  arm  by  the  ball. 

"  Dead  ball!  "  cried  the  umpire.  "  Take  your 
base,"  and  Forwell  went  to  first,  while  Larry 
marched  to  second. 

Then  Sam  came  to  the  bat,  but  his  first  strike 
was  a  foul,  caught  by  the  third  baseman.  An- 
other out  followed,  made  by  the  captain,  much 
to  his  chagrin.  The  score  now  stood  5  to  3, 
with  two  players  on  base  and  two  out.  One 
more  out  and  the  match  would  come  to  an  end, 
unless  the  score  was  a  tie. 

"Tom  Rover  to  the  bat!"  called  the  score- 
keeper,  and  Tom  marched  to  the  plate.  A 
strike  and  two  balls,  and  he  made  as  clean  a  one- 
base  hit  as  had  his  elder  brother. 

"  Three  on  base  and  two  out!  "  came  the  cry. 
"  Now,  Pornell,  be  careful!  " 

Fred  Garrison  was  the  next  of  the  team  to 
come  forward.  All  eyes  were  centered  upon 
Fred.  "Be  careful,  oh,  be  careful!"  pleaded 
Frank.  "  Don't  get  out  as  I  did!  " 

"One  strike!"  cried  the  umpire  as  the  ball 
whizzed  over  the  plate.  "Ball  one!"  came  a 
moment  later.  "  Strike  two!  "  was  immediately 
added. 

Bang!  the  ball  had  come  on  again,  and  Fred 


«40  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

had  hit  it  with  all  of  the  force  at  his  command. 
It  shot  past  second  base  and  toward  centerfield. 
"Run!  run!"  yelled  Frank,  and  the  crowd 
joined  in,  as  Dick  started  for  home,  followed  by 
Forwell  and  Tom.  The  center  fielder  fumbled 
the  ball,  and  the  four  runners  came  in  one  right 
on  top  of  the  other. 

"  Putnam  Hall  has  won!  " 

"  Say,  but  wasn't  that  a  great  game?  " 

"Hurrah!  hurrah!  hurrah!"  came  from  the 
cadets  and  their  friends. 

It  was  a  great  time  for  the  boys.  They  gave 
three  cheers  for  their  opponents,  but  the  Por- 
nellites  felt  their  second  defeat  too  keenly,  and 
as  quickly  as  they  could  they  left  the  grounds, 
and  quarter  of  an  hour  later  were  on  their  way 
home. 

After  this  contest  matters  moved  along 
quietly  until  June.  In  the  meantime  the  cadets 
studied  up  with  all  diligence  for  the  examina- 
tions soon  to  take  place.  All  of  our  friends 
passed  creditably,  Dick  standing  second  in  his 
class,  Tom  fourth  and  Sam  third  in  their  classes. 
Captain  Putnam  and  George  Strong  heartily  ap- 
proved of  the  showing  made. 

"  That  Tom  Rover  is  full  of  fun,"  was  the  cap- 
tain's comment,  "  but  he  knows  how  to  study  as 
well  as  how  to  play  jokes." 

Mumps  was  almost  at  the  foot  of  his  class. 


OFF  FOR  THE  SUMMER  ENCAMPMENT.      241 

The  sneak  had  hardly  any  friends  left,  and  he 
announced  that  he  was  going  to  leave  Putnam 
Hall  never  to  return — for  which  no  one  was  par- 
ticularly sorry. 

Immediately  after  the  examinations  it  was 
announced  that  the  entire  school  would  march 
to  a  place  called  Brierroot  Grove,  where  they 
would  go  into  their  annual  encampment  for  two 
weeks.  At  once  all  of  the  cadets  were  in  a 
bustle;  and  soon  uniforms  were  brushed  up, 
buckles  and  buttons  polished,  knapsacks  packed, 
and  rifles  oiled  and  cleaned. 

"  Makes  a  fellow  feel  as  if  he  was  going  off  to 
the  war!  "  observed  Sam.  "  I  don't  know  but 
what  I  would  like  to  be  a  soldier  some  day." 

The  battalion  marched  away  one  Monday 
morning,  with  flags  flying,  drums  beating  loudly, 
and  the  fifers  blowing  away  upon  "  Yankee 
Doodle  "  with  all  of  their  might.  The  route 
was  the  lake  road,  and  many  of  the  farmhouses 
passed  were  decorated  in  honor  of  the  departure. 
As  they  passed  the  Stanhope  homestead,  Dora 
and  Mrs.  Stanhope  came  forth  and  waved  their 
handkerchiefs,  and  Dick,  as  second  lieutenant  of 
Company  A,  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to 
wave  his  sword  at  them. 

The  camping-out  spot  was  reached  that  after- 
noon at  five  o'clock.  The  provision  wagon  and 
that  loaded  with  the  tents  had  already  come  up, 


242  THE   ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

and  soon  the  cadets  were  putting  up  the  tents, 
while  the  cooking  detail  was  preparing  supper. 
The  evening  meal  consisted  of  nothing  but 
bread,  coffee,  and  beef  stew,  but  never  did  plain, 
fare  taste  better,  with  such  pure  mountain  air  for 
sauce. 

"  It's  just  boss!  "  said  Tom  on  the  second 
day  in  camp.  "  Living  in  a  te"nt  suits  me  to 
death." 

*The  next  day,  however,  he  changed  his  tune, 
for  it  rained  in  torrents,  and  everybody  got 
soaked  to  the  skin.  "Ugh!"  said  Tom.  "I 
wasn't  thinking  of  this  when  I  said  it  suited  me 
to  death."  All  made  the  best  of  it,  and  luckily 
the  storm  did  not  last  over  twenty-four  hours. 
Then  the  sun  came  out  warmly,  and  that  was 
the  last  of  the  rain  while  the  encampment  lasted. 

A  week  had  passed  by,  when  one  afternoon 
Dick,  Tom,  and  Sam  received  permission  to  visit 
the  town  of  Rootville,  a  mile  away.  They  were 
to  be  gone  not  over  three  hours,  and  were  to 
purchase  some  medicine  needed  by  several 
cadets  who  had  taken  cold  during  the  damp 
spell. 

The  boys  walked  to  Rootville  in  high  spirits 
and  readily  procured  the  drugs  desired.  Then 
they  wandered  around  from  place  to  place,  tak- 
ing in  the  sights. 

There  was  a  depot,  and  as  was  natural  they 


OFF  FOR  THE  SUMMER  ENCAMPMENT,      243 

drifted  thither,  and  into  the  waiting-  room. 
Here  almost  the  first  persons  they  saw  were 
Arnold  Baxter  and  Buddy  the  tramp  thief. 

"  Gracious! "  burst  from  Dick's  lips,  and  then 
he  pulled  Tom  and  Sam  back.  "  Here  is  a 
chance  at  last  to  arrest  that  thief!  " 

"That's  so!"  cried  Tom.  "Wait,  I  saw  a 
policeman  outside.  I'll  call  him,"  and  he  darted 
off. 

While  Dick  and  Sam  awaited  Tom's  reappear- 
ance, they  noticed  that  Baxter  and  Buddy  were 
holding  a  conversation  of  great  interest. 

"  I  will  pay  you  well  if  you  will  help  me  in  this 
deal,"  Arnold  Baxter  was  saying. 

"  I'll  do  all  I  can,"  answered  Buddy  Girk. 
"  But  what  of  your  son  Dan?  " 

"  Dan  is  not  to  be  depended  upon,"  answered 
Arnold  Baxter.  "  He  robbed  me  of  two  hun- 
dred dollars  and  skipped  out  for  Chicago." 

"  Humph!  "  murmured  Dick.  "  Here  is  cer- 
tainly news  of  Dan  Baxter  that  is  very  much  to 
his  discredit.  I  hope  I  and  Dora  and  the  rest 
never  hear  of  him  again." 

•  Some  other  folks  now  came  into  the  depot, 
and  Arnold  Baxter  and  Buddy  lowered  their 
voices,  so  that  Dick  and  Sam  could  hear  nothing 
further. 

Soon  Tom  arrived,  followed  by  the  policeman, 
who  looked  anxiously  at  the  two  men. 


*44  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

"  You  say  they  are  thieves? "  he  asked  of 
Dick. 

"  The  short  man  is.     He  stole  my  watch." 

"  What  of  the  other?  " 

"  He  is  a  bad  man  too — although  it  may  be 
hard  to  prove  it." 

At  once  the  crowd  approached  the  evil  pair, 
and  the  officer  caught  Buddy  Girk  by  the  arm. 

"  I  want  you,"  he  said  in  a  low,  firm  voice. 

The  thief  turned  swiftly,  and  as  he  saw  himself 
confronted  by  Dick  and  the  officer  of  the  law  his 
face  fell. 

"  I  aint  done  nothin'!  "  he  cried,  and  tried  to 
break  away,  but  the  officer  at  once  overpowered 
him  and  brought  forth  a  pair  of  handcuffs. 

"  You'll  put  these  on,"  he  said  grimly,  and  de- 
spite his  protestations  Buddy  Girk  was  hand- 
cuffed. 

"Hold  on!"  cried  Dick,  as  Arnold  Baxter 
started  to  run.  He  made  a  clutch  for  the  man, 
but  Baxter  was  too  quick  for  him  and  slipped 
through  the  crowd  and  out  of  the  depot.  In- 
stantly Dick  made  after  him. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE    RECOVERY    OF    THE    WATCH CONCLUSION. 

Arnold  Baxter  hesitated  but  a  moment  on 
gaining-  the  depot  platform.  A  freight  train 
was  passing  the  station  at  a  slow  rate  of  speed, 
and,  running  to  an  empty  car  which  stood  wide 
open,  he  leaped  on  board. 

Dick  was  close  behind  him,  and  as  the  man 
boarded  the  freight  car  caught  him  by  the  leg. 
As  Dick  held  on  like  a  bulldog  there  was  noth- 
ing left  for  Arnold  Baxter  to  do  but  to  drag  the 
youth  up  behind  him. 

"  You  imp!  "  he  snarled,  as  the  two  faced  each 
other  on  the  car  floor.  "  What  do  you  mean  by 
following  me  in  this  fashion?  " 

"  And  what  do  you  mean  by  running  away  in 
this  fashion?  "  panted  Dick. 

"  I  have  a  right  to  do  as  I  please." 

"  And  so  have  I." 

"  You  have  no  right  to  follow  me." 

"  That  remains  to  be  seen,  Arnold  Baxter.  I 
would  like  to  ask  you  a  few  questions." 

"  Would  you,  indeed?  "  sneered  the  tall  man. 

"  Yes.  I  won't  waste  words.  Were  you  and 
my  father  enemies  years  ago?  " 


246  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

At  this  direct  question  Arnold  Baxter  scowled 
darkly.  "  Yes,  if  you  are  anxious  to  know  it," 
he  muttered. 

"  I  fancied  as  much.  You  tried  to  swindle 
him  out  of  some  Western  mining  property." 

"  The  boot  was  on  the  other  leg — he  tried  to 
swindle  me — ran  off  to  Africa  with  my  papers,  I 
think,  or  else  left  them  somewhere  where  I  can't 
find  them." 

"  I  do  not  believe  you,  for  my  father  was  an 
honest  man,  while  you  are  the  boon  companion 
of  a  thief." 

"  Have  a  care,  boy — I  won't  stand  every- 
thing! "  snarled  Arnold  Baxter,  his  eyes  gleam- 
ing like  those  of  an  angry  cat. 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  you,  Arnold  Baxter.  I 
shall  hand  you  over  to  the  police  at  our  first 
stopping  place! " 

"  Will  you ! "  hissed  the  man,  and  leaped  at 
Dick,  bearing  him  down  to  the  car  floor.  At 
once  his  hand  sought  the  lad's  throat. 

"  I've  a  good  mind  to  choke  the  life  out  of 
you,"  he  went  on.  "  I  hate  you  all — everyone 
who  bears  the  name  of  Rover!  " 

"  Le — let  up!  "  gasped  Dick,  growing  purple 
in  the  face,  while  his  eyes  bulged  from  their 
sockets. 

"  I'll  pitch  you  off!  "  was  Arnold  Baxter's  an- 
swer, and  suddenly  he  lifted  Dick  up  in  his 


CONCLUSION.  247 

strong  arms  and  stepped  to  the  open  doorway. 
They  were  passing  over  a  trestle  spanning  a 
wide  gully,  at  the  bottom  of  which  were  bushes, 
rocks,  and  a  tiny  mountain  stream. 

''Don't!"  cried  Dick,  and  snatched  at  the 
handle  of  the  car  door.  He  had  just  clutched  it, 
when  Arnold  Baxter  launched  forth  his  body 
into  space. 

The  next  instant,  and  while  Baxter  stood  by 
the  edge  of  the  door,  the  long  train  swung 
around  a  sharp  curve.  There  was  a  quick  jerk, 
and  with  a  yell  of  fright  which  sounded  in  Dick's 
ears  for  days  afterward,  Arnold  Baxter  slipped 
through  the  doorway  and  went  tumbling  head 
foremost  down  into  the  gully! 

Dick  shut  his  eyes  at  the  sight  and  clung  fast 
mechanically.  Then,  as  soon  as  he  could  rew 
cover,  he  swung  himself  into  the  car.  He  could 
not  stand,  and  sank  like  a  lump  of  lead  to  the 
car  floor  unconscious. 

When  he  recovered,  several  train  hands  sur- 
rounded him,  and  his  face  was  wet  from  the 
water  they  had  poured  over  him..  It  was  fully 
an  hour  before  he  could  tell  his  story,  and  then 
a  hand-car  was  sent  back  to  the  spot  where 
Arnold  Baxter  had  had  his  terrible  fall. 

The  rascal  was  found  at  the  foot  of  the  gully, 
a  leg  and  several  ribs  broken  and  otherwise 
bruised.  He  was  carried  to  the  hand-car  like 


248  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

one  dead,  and  later  on  transferred  to  a  hospital 
at  Ithaca.  Here  it  was  announced  that  he 
might  possibly  recover,  although  this  was  ex- 
ceedingly doubtful. 

"  He's  a  bad  one,"  said  Tom,  when  he  heard 
Dick's  story.  "  I  would  like  to  know  what 
Buddy  Girk  has  to  say  about  him." 

Buddy  had  been  taken  to  the  Rootville  jail 
and  searched,  and  a  pawn-ticket  for  the  stolen 
watch  found  in  his  vest  pocket.  The  ticket  was 
on  a  Middletown  pawnbroker,  and  showed  that 
fifteen  dollars  had  been  loaned  on  the  timepiece. 
Buddy  had  more  than  this  amount  in  his  pocket, 
and  some  time  later  the  money  was  forwarded  to 
the  pawnbroker,  and  then  the  precious  watch 
and  chain  came  back  to  Dick,  in  as  good  a  con- 
dition as  ever. 

"  I  haven't  got  nuthin'  to  say,"  said  Buddy, 
when  Dick  tried  to  make  him  talk.  "  I  didn't 
steal  the  watch,  and  I  didn't  do  nothin'." 

"  You  won't  tell  me  anything  about  Arnold 
Baxter?  "  questioned  Dick. 

"  Aint  got  nuthin'  to  say,"  repeated  Buddy, 
who  was  planning  to  escape  from  jail  that  very 
night. 

And  escape  he  did,  through  a  window  the  bars 
of  which  were  bent  and  broken.  The  authori- 
ties searched  for  him  for  nearly  a  week,  but  the 
search  proved  unavailing. 


CONCLUSION.  249 

"  I  don't  care  particularly,"  said  Dick,  in  com- 
menting on  the  affair.  "  I  have  my  watch  back, 
and  that's  the  main  thing." 

"  But  Buddy  ought  to  be  punished.  Now  if 
it  was  Arnold  Baxter  who  had  gotten  away — 
after  that  terrible  fall — I  wouldn't  say  a  word," 
answered  Tom. 

The  encampment  came  to  an  end  in  a  blaze  of 
glory  on  Fourth  of  July  night,  with  firecrackers 
and  fireworks  galore.  The  cadets  "  cut  up  like 
wild  Indians  "  until  after  midnight,  and  Captain 
Putnam  gave  them  a  free  rein.  "  Independence 
Day  comes  but  once  a  year,"  he  said.  "  And  I 
would  not  give  much  for  the  boy  who  is  not 
patriotic." 

"  You  are  right  there,  captain,"  returned 
George  Strong.  "  Our  boys  are  true  blue,  every 
one  of  them!  " 

Out  on  the  parade  ground  the  cadets  were 
singing  loudly  and  marching  at  the  same  time. 
Everybody  was  in  the  best  of  high  spirits,  and  it 
was  a  time  never  to  be  forgotten. 

Here  I  must  bring  to  a  close,  for  the  present, 
the  story  of  the  Rover  boys'  doings  at  Putnam 
Hall  and  elsewhere.  We  have  seen  how  Dick 
was  robbed  of  his  watch  and  how  he  recovered 
the  timepiece;  how  the  boys  joined  the  other 
cadets,  and  what  friends  and  enemies  they  made; 


25°  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL. 

and  we  have  likewise  entered  into  man}^  a  sport 
and  contest  with  them. 

With  the  termination  of  the  encampment  the 
school  term  came  to  an  end,  and  the  Rover  boys 
returned  to  their  home  with  their  uncle  and 
aunt.  But  more  adventures  were  in  store  for 
them,  and  these  will  be  related  in  another  vol- 
ume, to  be  entitled  "  The  Rover  Boys  on  the 
Ocean;  or,  a  Chase  for  Fortune."  In  this  vol- 
ume we  will  meet  all  of  our  old  friends,  and  also 
learn  more  concerning  Josiah  Crabtree  and  his 
little  plot  to  marry  Mrs.  Stanhope  and  obtain 
the  money  the  lady  was  holding  in  trust  for  Dora, 
We  shall  likewise  meet  Dan  Baxter  and  his 
toady  Mumps,  and  learn  much  concerning  a 
thrilling  chase  on  the  ocean  ana  its  happy 
results. 

But  for  the  present  all  went  wel1.  The  boys 
arrived  at  the  homestead  two  days  after  the 
Fourth  and  \vere  met  at  the  door  by  their  Uncle 
Randolph  and  Aunt  Martha. 

"  Welcome  home,  all  of  you ! "  cried  Ran- 
dolph Rover.  And  as  their  aunt  kissed  them, 
he  continued,  "  And  what  do  you  think  of  your 
school?  " 

"  What  do  we  think? "  repeated  Tom, 
"  Why,  we  think  Putnam  Hall  is  the  best  boys' 
school  on  earth !  " 

And  Dick  and  Sam  agreed  with  him. 


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